Caressing touch is an effective way to communicate emotions and to create social bonds. It
is also one of the key mediators of early parental bonding. The caresses are generally …

Affective touch has been associated with affiliative behavior during early stages of infant
development; however, its underlying brain mechanisms are still poorly understood. This …

In adults, affective touch leads to widespread activation of cortical areas including posterior
Superior Temporal Sulcus (pSTS) and Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG). Using functional Near …

Physical expressions of affection play a foundational role in early brain development, but the
neural correlates of affective touch processing in infancy remain unclear. We examined …

Affective touch (gentle, caress-like touch) carries a rewarding meaning, which may represent
a neurophysiological foundation for the development of social interactions from the earliest …

Preterm birth is a significant risk factor for a range of long-term health problems and
developmental disabilities. Though touch plays a central role in many perinatal care …

The evaluation of interpersonal touch is heavily influenced by its source. For example, a
gentle stroke from a loved one is generally more pleasant than the same tactile stimulation …

Touch provides more than sensory input for discrimination of what is on the skin. From early
in development it has a rewarding and motivational value, which may reflect an evolutionary …

Previous studies have demonstrated that pleasant touch activates reward-related cortical
regions including the anterior prefrontal cortex (APFC) in adults, but the developmental …

Touch represents one of our most important senses throughout life and particularly in the
context of our social and emotional experiences. In this review, we draw on research on …