AGENDA

Zhou-Feng Chen

"How do you feel: molecular and neural mechanisms of pleasant touch sensation"
Pleasant touch, manifesting in actions like hugging, embracing, and grooming, is fundamental to the well-being of social animals. However, it remains one of the least understood of somatosensory modalities. In this talk, I will explain the organizing principle by which pleasant touch sensation is encoded and distinguished from sensations with negative valence such as itch and pain. Our study indicates that the neuropeptide prokineticin (PROK2) in sensory neurons and a subset of the spinal interneurons defined by PROK2 receptor expression constitute a labeled line that encodes and conveys pleasant touch information. PROK2 mutant mice fail to engage in social grooming/licking, a primary form of affective social touch in rodents, resulting in anxiety and depressive-like behaviors. These mutant mice provide a unique animal model for exploring the mechanisms underlying the development of depressive-like behavior. I will further discuss how pain may paradoxically evoke pleasant sensations. Such crosstalk between sensory modalities significantly enhances our sensory, emotional, perceptual, and behavioral capabilities, which could be leveraged therapeutically to improve human health and well-being.

Uta Sailer:
"The Purpose and Efficacy of Touch: Exploring Goals and Determinants in Human Interaction"

Touch plays a fundamental role in human interaction, functioning as a sophisticated signaling system that shapes both immediate responses and long-term relationships. This talk examines touch through the lens of goal direction – the conscious and unconscious objectives we aim to achieve through tactile interaction.
The presentation analyses some primary domains of touch effects: emotional state modulation, behavioral adaptation, and social bond formation. I examine how touch influences pleasantness and positive affect, with particular attention to mediating variables, e.g. variety. The impact of touch, for example regarding stress reduction, is discussed within the framework of ecological validity and partner dynamics. Throughout the talk I draw on concepts from different fields such as psychology, sociology and biology. This integrated approach provides insights into how touch achieves its varied purposes in human interaction.

Yoel Fink:
"How sophisticated could a fiber be?"
Fabrics cover a truly valuable tract of real estate – the surface of our bodies. Exposed to troves of data, important insights would be revealed if only fabrics could compute: sense, store, analyze, infer, alert, and act while retaining their aesthetics, comfort and resilience. My talk will focus on the development of a new class of computers, fiber-computers and discuss prospects for the transformation of fabrics into sophisticated computing and networked environments to deliver new insights and provide added value to humans.