An interventional study of Different surfaces to be touched and Emotional state change in Somatosensory Disorders, Amputation and Tactile Disorders, sponsored by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France. Recruiting at 2 sites in France. Open to participants aged 20 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-04.
Sponsored by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
Our sense of touch is essential to explore our environment and experience life and is based on signals from receptors in the body that are sensitive to different types of stimulation. The TACTHUM projects aims to investigate the fundamental firing of mechanoreceptors in the body to various external stimuli, with an end-aim to better understand the human somatosensory system and to apply this knowledge to provide comprehensive sensory feedback in prosthetics. We have a vast system of peripheral receptors in the skin and muscles that provide us with exquisitely detailed information about our everyday interactions. When there is injury to a body part, such as in amputation, there is a significant loss of somatosensory input. Prosthetic devices have greatly developmed in the past few years, especially with the introduction of useful sensory feedback. However, there is a lot to discover both about the workings of the somatosensory system and how to recreate this to give feedback in a prosthetic device.
The main objective of the TACTHUM project is to understand how to recover and apply useful somatosensory feedback in prostheses for amputees. There are a number of other sub-objectives, to:
To accomplish these objectives, we will primarily use the technique of microneurography, in vivo recordings from peripheral nerves, to gain direct information about the firing of peripheral neurons in humans. In conjunction with this, we will use a variety of mechanical and thermal stimuli to excite somatosensory fibers and register the activity of other physiological and perceptual measures. This will allow us to gain a fuller understanding of how the incoming somatosensory signals are interpreted and processed. Overall, we aim to explore how more naturalistic tactile interactions are encoded and how these can be translated to provide realistic prosthetic feedback.
65 studies on the registry are indexed under Somatosensory Disorders; 8 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 210 is above the median of 40 across 45 interventional studies indexed under Somatosensory Disorders.
Browse Somatosensory Disorders studies →Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France is the lead sponsor of 378 studies on the registry; 81 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Device: Different surfaces to be touched
Device: Different surfaces to be touched · Behavioral: Emotional state change
Device: Different surfaces to be touched
Device: Different surfaces to be touched
Device: Different surfaces to be touched · Behavioral: Emotional state change · Device: Electrical stimulation
Device: Electrical stimulation
Device: Different surfaces to be touched · Device: Electrical stimulation
The participant will touch various different surfaces and textures, including ones of different temperature and including solids and liquids.
The emotional state of the participant will be modulated by listening to music.
The participant will receive electrical stimulation of single nerve fibers (a few microamps) to artificially excite an individual afferent.
Microneurography recording
The discharge of a peripheral nerve fiber will be recorded during the stimulation conditions. From this recording, measures of the total number of impulses evoked, the instantaneous and average frequencies, firing variability, and frequency composition will be extracted.
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), during stimulation intervention
Electrodermal response
Electrodermal response will be recorded from electrodes attached to the glabrous skin, to register further effects of the stimulation on the body.
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), during stimulation intervention
Heart rate
Heart rate will be recorded via three electrodes on the skin, to register further effects of the stimulation on the body.
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), during stimulation intervention
Electromyography
Electromyography (EMG) will be recorded from surface skin electrodes over the muscle, to register further effects of the stimulation on the body. From this recording, measures of the total activity (area under the curve) during a stimulation period and the frequency composition will be extracted.
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), during stimulation intervention
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography (EEG) will be recorded from surface scalp skin using a 64 electrodes setup, to register further effects of the stimulation on brain responses. From this recording, measures of the event-related potentials to stimulation will be analyzed and the frequency composition (theta, alpha, beta, gamma) of the response will be extracted.
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), during stimulation intervention
Perceptual ratings of pleasantness
The perceptual rating of the perceived pleasantness of different applied stimuli will be gained to determine the overt sensations induced by the stimulation. The scale is a visual analog scale with the anchors 'pleasant' and 'unpleasant' that outputs a scale of 0 (unpleasant) to 100 (pleasant).
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), directly after the stimulation intervention
Perceptual ratings of roughness
The perceptual rating of the perceived roughness of different applied stimuli will be gained to determine the overt sensations induced by the stimulation. The scale is a visual analog scale with the anchors 'smooth' and 'rough' that outputs a scale of 0 (smooth) to 100 (rough).
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), directly after the stimulation intervention
Perceptual ratings of intensity
The perceptual rating of the perceived intensity of different applied stimuli will be gained to determine the overt sensations induced by the stimulation. The scale is a visual analog scale with the anchors 'not al all intense' and 'intense' that outputs a scale of 0 (not at all intense) to 100 (intense).
Time frame: Measured during the experiment (single event, max. 6 hours), directly after the stimulation intervention
Plan to share: Undecided
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