Neuro-perceptive discrimination on fabric tactile stimulation by Electroencephalographic (EEG) spectra

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 10; p. e0241378
• Main Authors: Jiao, Jiao, Hu, Xiaoling, Huang, Yanhuan, Hu, Junyan, Hsing, Chihchia, Lai, Zhangqi, Wong, Calvin, Xin, John H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 28.10.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; Biomedical engineering; Brain - physiology; Brain research; Cerebral cortex; Clothing industry; Composition; Cotton; Discrimination; Discrimination, Psychological - physiology; EEG; Electroencephalography; Engineering; Fabrics; Female; Frequencies; Friction; Human subjects; Humans; Male; Mechanical Phenomena; Medical examination; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methods; Nervous system; Observations; Perception; Physical properties; Physical Sciences; Physiology; Polyesters; Prostheses; Prosthetics; Questionnaires; Research and Analysis Methods; Sensory perception; Sensory thresholds; Signal processing; Skin; Social Sciences; Spectra; Spectral analysis; Spectrum analysis; Stimulation; Stimuli; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tactile discrimination; Tactile stimuli; Textile composites; Textiles; Touch; Touch Perception; Wool; Young Adult; China; Hong Kong China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241378

The precise evaluation of sensory perceptions during fabric-skin interactions is still poorly understood in neuroscience. This study aims to investigate the cortical sensory response to fabric stimuli with different textiles by Electroencephalographic (EEG) spectral intensities, and evaluate the relationships between EEG frequency bands, traditional subjective questionnaires, and the materials' physical properties. Twelve healthy adult participants were recruited to test three fabrics with different textile compositions of 1) cotton, 2) nylon, and 3) polyester and wool. The physical properties of the fabrics were quantitatively evaluated by a Fabric Touch Tester (FTT). Subjects were invited to rate the sensory perception of the fabric samples via a subjective questionnaire and objective EEG recording. Significant differences in the EEG relative spectral power of Theta and Gamma bands were acquired in response to the different fabric stimuli (P<0.05). The Theta and Gamma powers demonstrated a significant correlation with the most of the subjective sensations evaluated by questionnaire and the fabrics' physical properties by FTT (P<0.05). The EEG spectral analysis could feasibly be used for the discrimination of fabric stimuli with different textile compositions and further indicates sensory perceptions during fabric stimulation. This finding may provide evidence for further exploratory research of sensory perceptions via EEG spectral analysis, which could be applied to the study of brain generators of skin tactility in future prostheses and the automatic detection of sensory perception in industries.