22/03/2023
Beautiful to see Science backing up what Mother Nature has always know
Francis McGlone is Professor in Neuroscience at Liverpool John Moores University, Visiting Professor, Liverpool University, and Aalto University Finland. He is Director of the Somatosensory & Affective Neuroscience Lab at the Research Centre Brain & Behaviour -
https://somaffect.org He has a long-term interest in the function of the different classes of sensory nerves innervating the skin of the body with a focus on those that code for pain, itch (for which an Ig Nobel prize was awarded) and pleasure. He is co-director of the International Association for the Study of Affective Touch (IASAT) https://iasat.org/
The sense of touch plays an adaptive role in evolution as a form of social communication that crosses cultures, genders, and age groups. Its absence affects babiesβ growth, both physically and mentally, as found many years ago by Rene Spitz and more recently in Romanian orphans, with many children showing cognitive and emotional deficits, adverse responses to stress, and aggressive behaviours. Covid has thrown into stark relief just how vital touch is to the whole human race.
In his opening talk Professor McGlone will propose a somatosensory mechanism that, at the very start of life, provides a role in shaping the destiny of a stable social brain. The touch nerves of interest in this talk are relatively recently discovered β in humans β unmyelinated nerves that respond preferentially to gentle stroking and caressing touch, such as that between a mother and her infant. His second talk will explore the reciprocal interactions between a mother and her baby which play an integral role in the production of milk as well as breastfeeding.