047-22 – Role of C-Tactile Afferent Nerve Fibres for Infant Development

The aim of our research is to investigate the role of nurturing touch during infant development. This type of touch stimulates a distinct population of mechanosensitive c-fibres, called C-tactile afferents (CTs), in the skin that respond optimally to a low force/velocity ‘caressing’ touch, delivered at skin temperature. CTs are associated with the affective component of touch, thus, we hypothesise that CTs play a vital developmental impact in social and emotional brain development.

To investigate this hypothesis, focus will be placed on preterm infant populations, who do not experience typical environmental stimuli during a critical developmental period, as the environment in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) differs greatly to that in utero. Unexpected stimuli, such as pain from clinically relevant procedures and sensory overload (bright light, loud noises, etc.), are stressors which result in physiological and biochemical implications (e.g., increased heart rate, reduced blood oxygenation levels and inflated levels of cortisol). Neural development is partially dependent on physiological and biochemical response to external stimuli; therefore, typical synaptic connections are not made in the developing brain. Comparison of intervention and control infants physiological and biochemical responses to a heel lance, will attempt to establish a link between CT stimulation and physiological regulation.