The Handbook of Touch

This book is excellent in its coverage of neurobiological underpinnings through perception, measurement, and communication...a great resource for researchers and clinicians." Score: 94, 4 stars. --Doody's Medical Reviews

This is an expertly constructed volume, due mainly to an expert composition of authors for the individual chapters. Every chapter is like opening a door to a different laboratory, each examining a unique corner of the tactile research universe."--PsycCRITIQUES

...a solid, authoritative resource."--New Hampshire Nurses Association

Touch has received increased attention over the last few decades, with growing recognition of its profound import to all facets of life. The Handbook of Touch is the first authoritative, state-of-the-art resource for scientists, scholars, and students interested in the neurobehavioral foundations of touch and its many applications.

This text provides an in-depth overview of the conceptual and empirical scope of the field. Chapters are written by a cadre of internationally known experts on touch, representing an expansive breadth of knowledge from behavioral, health, and neuroscience disciplines.

• Integrates knowledge regarding the neurobiology of touch, covering the spectrum from skin physiology and somatosensory pathways to touch-related genes and proteins
• Synthesizes research about the neural processing and perception of touch
• Describes diverse methods for measuring touch behavior and human response to touch
• Discusses the role of touch in social communication, along with the influence of context and culture
• Presents cutting edge research that links touch to brain organization and plasticity, human development, and varied dimensions of health

Contributors

Preface

SECTION I THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF TOUCH

1. The Anatomy and Physiology of the Skin

2. Sensory Processes of Touch

3. The Molecular and Genetic Basis of Touch

4. Brain Plasticity and Touch

SECTION II PERCEIVING THE PHYSICAL WORLD VIA TOUCH

5. Biomechanical and Neurophysiological Basis of the Processing of Tactile Stimuli

6. Hierarchical Neural Pathways of Haptic Object Processing

7. The Organization and Function of Somatosensory Cortex

8. Crossmodal Interactions in Tactile Perception

SECTION III MEASUREMENT OF TOUCH

9. Measurement of Tactile Response and Tactile Perception

10. Measurement of Touch Behavior

SECTION IV COMMUNICATION VIA TOUCH

11. Communicating Through Touch: Touching During Parent-Infant Interactions

12. The Communicative Functions of Touch in Adulthood

13. Gender and Status Patterns in Social Touch

14. Tactile Traditions: Cultural Differences and Similarities in Haptic Communication

SECTION V THE RELEVANCE OF TOUCH FOR DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH

15. Maternal Touch and the Developing Infant

16. Tactile Dysfunction in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

17. Touch in People Who Are Visually Impaired

18. Massage Therapy: A Review of Recent Research

19. Haptic Feedback: Technology and Medical Applications

Index