Lit Review: Touch

Source: Monkeyshines on Health & Science
Mar 97 The Five Senses
Page: 18-20
Database: MasterFILE Premier
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Taste-touch responds to more than one type of stimulus. Touch responds to pressure and
temperature.

While the four senses are located in particular parts of the body, touch is located all over the
body. Because of this, touch is considered more than a single sense.

Animals also process the sense of touch. Humans, however are still the only creature who
can train this sense. The blind use their sense of touch to read braille.

How does this sense work?

The sense of touch is aroused by stimulation of the skin. On your skin are many nerve
endings (receptors) which give you the feeling of heat, cold, pain, pressure, or touch.

Heat, cold, and touch stimuli are received by end organs or sensory receptors on the skin.

When you are touched by something hot, the heat receptors carry this to the brain. Cold receptors register things that are cold. The nerve endings carry the information from the stimuli to the spinal cord, which sends messages to the brain. There the feeling of cold, hot,
or pain is registered.