Touch is the sense we understand the least – but maybe not for much longer

Guy Bewick; Chih-Cheng Chen; Robert W. Banks

Touch is the sense we understand the least – but maybe not for much longer

Guy Bewick, Chih-Cheng Chen, Robert W. Banks

Medical Sciences

Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article

Abstract

What tells you your bladder is full? Your body uses a sense that is so all-pervasive it’s normally kept at a subconscious level so we aren’t overwhelmed with information. Sometimes referred to as a sixth sense, this internal sensing ability is actually part of the “mechanical sense” that includes touch. It tells you where your legs are and whether they are safely touching the ground; that your shoulders are connected to your arms, and so on.

It relies on a network of nerve endings that constantly monitor our hair, skin, guts, bladder, joints, muscles, arms, legs and blood pressure. Have you ever woken unable to feel your arm? This is because reduced blood supply has sent the nerve endings to “sleep”. You can move it – but you can’t control it. When “feeling” returns, you slowly realise the arm is actually yours again. In rare cases, people can lose the sensation in much of their body permanently.

Original language	English
Specialist publication	The Conversation
Publisher	The Conversation UK
Publication status	Published - 10 May 2016

Bibliographical note

Guy Bewick receives funding from the British Heart Foundation and the University of Aberdeen Development Trust. Preceding work has been funded by the Medical Research Council and Tenovus Scotland.

Chih-Cheng Chen receives grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

Robert Banks receives funding from the British Heart Foundation and the University of Aberdeen Development Trust. Preceding work has been funded by the Medical Research Council and Tenovus Scotland. He is also funded by Action Research, the MRC and the Wellcome Trust.

Keywords

Diabetes
Stroke
Senses
Heart attack
Muscles
Cerebral palsy
Touch

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

https://theconversation.com/touch-is-the-sense-we-understand-the-least-but-maybe-not-for-much-longer-59181Licence: CC BY-ND

Cite this

@misc{cbfa9d1cf684426b8be9efc061471da7,

title = "Touch is the sense we understand the least – but maybe not for much longer",

abstract = "What tells you your bladder is full? Your body uses a sense that is so all-pervasive it{\textquoteright}s normally kept at a subconscious level so we aren{\textquoteright}t overwhelmed with information. Sometimes referred to as a sixth sense, this internal sensing ability is actually part of the “mechanical sense” that includes touch. It tells you where your legs are and whether they are safely touching the ground; that your shoulders are connected to your arms, and so on.It relies on a network of nerve endings that constantly monitor our hair, skin, guts, bladder, joints, muscles, arms, legs and blood pressure. Have you ever woken unable to feel your arm? This is because reduced blood supply has sent the nerve endings to “sleep”. You can move it – but you can{\textquoteright}t control it. When “feeling” returns, you slowly realise the arm is actually yours again. In rare cases, people can lose the sensation in much of their body permanently.",

keywords = "Diabetes, Stroke, Senses, Heart attack, Muscles, Cerebral palsy, Touch",

author = "Guy Bewick and Chih-Cheng Chen and Banks, {Robert W.}",

note = "Guy Bewick receives funding from the British Heart Foundation and the University of Aberdeen Development Trust. Preceding work has been funded by the Medical Research Council and Tenovus Scotland. Chih-Cheng Chen receives grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Robert Banks receives funding from the British Heart Foundation and the University of Aberdeen Development Trust. Preceding work has been funded by the Medical Research Council and Tenovus Scotland. He is also funded by Action Research, the MRC and the Wellcome Trust.",

year = "2016",

month = may,

day = "10",

language = "English",

journal = "The Conversation",

publisher = "The Conversation UK",

}

TY - GEN

T1 - Touch is the sense we understand the least – but maybe not for much longer

AU - Bewick, Guy

AU - Chen, Chih-Cheng

AU - Banks, Robert W.

N1 - Guy Bewick receives funding from the British Heart Foundation and the University of Aberdeen Development Trust. Preceding work has been funded by the Medical Research Council and Tenovus Scotland. Chih-Cheng Chen receives grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Robert Banks receives funding from the British Heart Foundation and the University of Aberdeen Development Trust. Preceding work has been funded by the Medical Research Council and Tenovus Scotland. He is also funded by Action Research, the MRC and the Wellcome Trust.

PY - 2016/5/10

Y1 - 2016/5/10

N2 - What tells you your bladder is full? Your body uses a sense that is so all-pervasive it’s normally kept at a subconscious level so we aren’t overwhelmed with information. Sometimes referred to as a sixth sense, this internal sensing ability is actually part of the “mechanical sense” that includes touch. It tells you where your legs are and whether they are safely touching the ground; that your shoulders are connected to your arms, and so on.It relies on a network of nerve endings that constantly monitor our hair, skin, guts, bladder, joints, muscles, arms, legs and blood pressure. Have you ever woken unable to feel your arm? This is because reduced blood supply has sent the nerve endings to “sleep”. You can move it – but you can’t control it. When “feeling” returns, you slowly realise the arm is actually yours again. In rare cases, people can lose the sensation in much of their body permanently.

AB - What tells you your bladder is full? Your body uses a sense that is so all-pervasive it’s normally kept at a subconscious level so we aren’t overwhelmed with information. Sometimes referred to as a sixth sense, this internal sensing ability is actually part of the “mechanical sense” that includes touch. It tells you where your legs are and whether they are safely touching the ground; that your shoulders are connected to your arms, and so on.It relies on a network of nerve endings that constantly monitor our hair, skin, guts, bladder, joints, muscles, arms, legs and blood pressure. Have you ever woken unable to feel your arm? This is because reduced blood supply has sent the nerve endings to “sleep”. You can move it – but you can’t control it. When “feeling” returns, you slowly realise the arm is actually yours again. In rare cases, people can lose the sensation in much of their body permanently.

KW - Diabetes

KW - Stroke

KW - Senses

KW - Heart attack

KW - Muscles

KW - Cerebral palsy

KW - Touch

M3 - Article

JO - The Conversation

JF - The Conversation

PB - The Conversation UK

ER -

Touch is the sense we understand the least – but maybe not for much longer

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this