The therapy dog—handler team visited 12 older people at three nursing homes for 60 min twice a week during a four-week period. The visits were videotaped, and the duration of interactive behaviors was recorded. The physiological variables were measured before 0 min and after 60 min the interaction between the residents and the dog—handler team, and the delta value was calculated.
The mean values for fingertip temperature, heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not differ significantly between the first and two last weeks paired t-test. However, the delta values varied largely between the different residents. These results demonstrate some associations between specific interactive behaviors and physiological changes in residents in connection with visits by a dog—handler team.
Box , SE 23 Skara, Sweden. However, the underlying neural processes contributing to touch-related effects of MDMA are not well understood. On the neural level, primary sensorimotor areas showed greater hemodynamic changes during the MDMA than during the placebo session for both touch speeds, indicating a relatively early influence within somatosensory pathways. However, posterior insula did not show preferential activation for the slower stroking speed.
These initial findings provide a basis for extending our knowledge of the neural processes underlying the effect of MDMA on affective touch. This research was supported by Swedish Research Council grant to I.
Both oxytocin OT and touch are key mediators of social attachment. In rodents, tactile stimulation elicits endogenous release of OT, potentially facilitating attachment and other forms of prosocial behavior, yet the relationship between endogenous OT and neural modulation remains unexplored in humans. Using serial sampling of plasma hormone levels during functional neuroimaging across two successive social interactions, we show that contextual circumstances of social touch facilitate or inhibit not only current hormonal and brain responses, but also calibrate later responses.
