Stephanie Margarete Mueller

University of Leipzig · Paul Flechsig Institute for Brain Research; Haptic Research Lab

Spontaneous facial self-touch gestures (sFSTG) are performed manifold every day by every human being, primarily in stressful situations. These movements are not usually designed to communicate and are frequently accomplished with little or no awareness. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether sFSTG are associated with specific chang...

Spontaneous face touching (sFST) is an ubiquitous behavior that occurs in people of all ages and all sexes, up to 800 times a day. Despite their high frequency, they have rarely been considered as an independent phenomenon. Recently, sFST have sparked scientific interest since they contribute to self-infection with pathogens. This raises questions...

Healthcare professionals and expecting mothers frequently voice concerns that massages during pregnancy might cause complications or premature labor. This PRISMA review outlines current results on effects, side effects and contraindications of relaxation massage during pregnancy. Inclusion criteria: all randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing...

This textbook presents the essential research findings on human touch and haptic perception in a concise manner for students and health professionals. Focusing on anatomical, clinical, and psychological aspects, the scope of this book ranges from the fetus in the womb to the older adult in need of care. The chapters can be read individually or...

Every human being spontaneously touches its eyes, cheeks, chin and mouth manifold every day. These spontaneous facial self-touches (sFST) are elicited with little or no awareness and are distinct from gestures and instrumental acts. Self-touch frequency has been shown to be influenced by negative affect and attention distraction and may be involved...

People all over the world, independent of their culture or background, touch their faces up to 800 times per day. No other part of the body is touched as often as the face. Forehead, nose, and chin—the so‐called T‐zone of the face—are touched particularly frequently during spontaneous facial self‐touches (sFST). It is hypothesized that there is a r...

Spontaneous touches of one’s face (sFST) were suggested to serve cognitive-emotional regulation processes. During the pandemic, refraining from face-touching was recommended, yet, accompanying effects and the influence of personal attributes remain unclear. Ninety participants (45 female, 45 male) filled out a questionnaire concerning personality,...

All tissues of the human body contain sensory cells that are sensitive to mechanical stimuli (mechanoreceptors). Depending on their localization, mechanoreceptors register either stimuli that impinge on the body from the outside, that are caused by the body’s own movements, or that arise in the course of organ activity. There are several hundred me...

The ability to process haptic, proprioceptive, and tactile stimuli can be trained due to the neuronal plasticity of the human central nervous system. Plasticity, in the neuroscientific sense, describes the ability of the central nervous system to adapt to changing environmental conditions and requirements. Accordingly, the performance of the haptic...

The time of pregnancy, as the earliest stage of human development, can influence the individual’s biological and psychological development into adulthood. From this perspective, good conditions for optimal development are desirable. Human touch and massage have the potential to trigger complex biochemical reactions that can positively affect the ph...

The haptic system encompasses three perceptual dimensions: (1) exteroception (perception of physical and some chemical properties of the external world), (2) interoception/visceroception (processing and regulation of the states of the body and its organ functions), and (3) proprioception (perception of limb and body movements and position in space)...

This chapter addresses the changes of the haptic system over the life course, causes of individual differences in perceptual thresholds, and impairments of the haptic system due to neurological and psychiatric disorders. The haptic system is the first sensory system that develops in human ontogeny. Individuals differ greatly from each other in thei...

In diagnostic, therapeutic, and nursing contexts, touch is a prerequisite for successful treatment. Compared to other everyday touches, these touches represent exceptional situations in the lives of both patients and the professionals performing the touches. Social touches can be distinguished from necessary touches that serve a medical or nursing...

The physical and mental development of infants and toddlers requires the care of adults that goes beyond personal hygiene, warmth, and an adequate supply of food. Adequate physical contact with the infant and toddler is essential for healthy development, even more so if the infants are born prematurely. Adequate social touch is required for stress...

A wide variety of physiological processes can be set in motion through interpersonal touch or massage. For example, relaxation massages can reduce depression, anxiety, and fatigue, improve sleep, reduce stress, regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and the immune system. These effects are in line with extensive research showing that psychological f...

https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/mediated-social-touch/

vertiefend zum Thema siehe in Kapitel: Mueller SM (2022) Psychologische Aspekte von Berührung. In: Mueller SM, Winkelmann C, Grunwald M (Hrsg) Lehrbuch Haptik – Grundlagen und Anwendung in Therapie, Pfege und Medizin. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, S 193–247 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-64012-8_2

Aim: To determine the relationship between medical staff's response time (RT) to oxygen saturation (SpO2) below 80% and the associated time from tactile intervention until SpO2 normalization (CT). Methods: Time-lapse video and continuous SpO2 were recorded for six consecutive 24h periods. Regression analyses of RT and SpO2 in association with po...

Objectives. An increased frequency of intermittent hypoxemia (IH) is associated with a higher risk for poor developmental outcomes, disability, or death in extremely preterm infants. The objective of the present study is to quantify the effect of hands-on medical and parental interventions on the incidence of IH in extremely preterm infants. Metho...

Background: Despite humans frequently performing spontaneous facial self-touches (sFST), the function of this behavior remains speculative. sFST have been discussed in the context of self-regulation, emotional homeostasis, working memory processes, and attention focus. First evidence indicates that sFST and active facial self-touches (aFST) are ne...

Spontaneous touching of one's own face (sFST) is an everyday behavior that occurs primarily in cognitively and emotionally demanding situations, regardless of a persons’ age or gender. Recently, sFST have sparked scientific interest since they are associated with self-inoculation and transmission of respiratory diseases. Several studies addressed t...

Für eine gute körperliche als auch für eine gute geistige Entwicklung eines Säuglings und Kleinkindes ist die Fürsorge durch Erwachsene absolut unerlässlich. Neben der Körperpflege, Wärme und der ausreichenden Versorgung mit Nahrung ist der adäquate Körperkontakt zum Säugling und Kleinkind ein Schlüsselelement für die artgerechte und gesunde Entwic...

Durch zwischenmenschliche Berührungen u. a. in Form von Massagen können verschiedenste physiologische Prozesse in Gang gesetzt werden. Zum Beispiel können Entspannungsmassagen Depression, Angst und Fatigue reduzieren, Schlaf verbessern, Stress abbauen, Blutzucker und Blutdruck senken und das Immunsystem regulieren. Die Befunde sind im Einklang mit...

Kapitel enthält: emotionale, soziale und ethische Aspekte von Berührungen; Placeboeffekte; Embodiment; Haus- und Therapietiere; Einsamkeit. - Abstract: Im medizinischen Kontext können von erforderlichen Berührungen, die einem medizinischen oder pflegerischen Zweck dienen, soziale Berührungen unterschieden werden. Diese, oft spontan auftretenden Ber...

Das haptische System umfasst exterozeptive, interozeptive und propriozeptive Wahrnehmungsdimensionen. Während alle anderen Sinnessysteme über spezialisierte Rezeptoren verfügen, die in einer bestimmten Region des Körpers konzentriert sind (Auge, Ohr, Nase, Mund), befinden sich die Rezeptoren des haptischen Systems in unterschiedlicher Konzentration...

Enthalten in diesem Kapitel: Trainierbarkeit und Rehabilitation; Test- und Trainingssysteme für Ausbildung und Praxis; Propädeutikum zur aktiven Tastsinnesleistung (PakT) - Die Fähigkeit, haptische, propriozeptive und taktile Reize zu verarbeiten, kann aufgrund der neuronalen Plastizität des menschlichen Zentralnervensystems trainiert werden. Plast...

Die Zeit der Schwangerschaft als früheste Entwicklungsphase des Menschen kann die biologische und psychische Entwicklung des entstehenden Lebewesens bis ins Erwachsenenalter beeinflussen. Unter diesem Gesichtspunkt sind gute Bedingungen für eine optimale Entwicklung erstrebenswert. Wohlwollende Körperberührungen und Massagen haben das Potenzial, in...

Alle Gewebe des menschlichen Körpers enthalten Sinneszellen, die für mechanische Reize sensibel sind (Mechanorezeptoren). Je nach Lokalisation registrieren sie entweder Reize, die von außen auf den Körper treffen, die durch eigene Körperbewegungen verursacht werden, oder die im Rahmen von Organtätigkeit entstehen. In jedem Kubikzentimeter Körpergew...

Enthalten in diesem Kapitel: Tastsinn im Lebensverlauf; Ursachen von individuellen Unterschieden; Störungen der Wahrnehmung durch neurologische und psychiatrische Erkrankungen - Abstract: Die Sensibilität der einzelnen Tastsinnesdimensionen ist individuell stark verschieden ausgeprägt. Durch altersabhängige Veränderungen der Hautfeuchtigkeit, der...

Dieses Lehrbuch vermittelt Physiotherapeuten, Ergotherapeuten, Pflegekräften und anderen Gesundheitsberufen alle wesentlichen Forschungsergebnisse zum Tastsinn und dessen Relevanz im beruflichen Alltag. Welchen Einfluss hat Berührung auf körperliche und geistige Gesundheit? Wie wirken Läsionen des zentralen Nervensystems auf die Haptik? Kann der Ta...

Spontaneously touching one’s own face (sFST) is an everyday behavior that occurs in people of all ages, worldwide. It is—as opposed to actively touching the own face—performed without directing one’s attention to the action, and it serves neither instrumental (scratching, nose picking) nor communicative purposes. These sFST have been discussed in t...

Background: Older adults sometimes shy away from using modern digital communication devices due to lacking experience and fear of failure. Within the present project, SmartCards were developed as analogous means to operate tablet computers for older adults with little previous computer experience. We investigated whether the SmartCards-Tablet-Syst...

Background: Even though tactile stimulation is common practice to terminate preterm apnea, the style and intensity of these interventions is not specified during theoretical or practical training and has never been clinically evaluated. Objective: The present study was designed to analyze the various modes of tactile stimulation used to terminate p...

Das Kapitel beschreibt den Unterschied zwischen Körperbild und Körperschema, zugehörige Störungsbilder sowie relevante Aspekte zur Diagnstik und Therapie.

Besonders bei Frühgeborenen können geeignete Berührungs- und Bewegungsinterventionen den Reifungs- und Entwicklungsprozess außerordentlich positiv beeinflussen. Obwohl die Skin-to-Skin-Methode grundsätzlich auch mit intubierten Frühgeborenen in kritischem Zustand durchgeführt werden kann und Untersuchungen deren positive Effekte belegen, ist die Hü...

Die biologischen Wirkungen von Hautverformungen (taktile Körperstimulationen) auf den Menschen werden in den Fachbereichen Physiotherapie und manuelle Medizin unterschätzt. Demgegenüber existiert eine breite empirische Basis, die belegt, dass taktile Körperstimulationen (ohne physiotherapeutische oder manualmedizinische Zielsetzung) komplexe bioche...

Paired samples t-Tests of all possible hand-face area combinations of sFST. T1 = movement time towards face; T2 = contact duration; T3 = movement time away from face; R = right hand; L = left hand; ipsi = ipsilateral face area; con = contralateral face area; med = middle axis of the face. For each hand-face-area combination only those subjects were...

Within-subjects comparisons of movement times and contact duration during RI. T1 = movement time towards face; T2 = sFST skin contact duration; T3 = movement time away from face; Paired-samples t-tests of movement times and contact durations for left- and right-handed sFST indicated no significant differences. (PDF)

Within-subjects comparisons of movement times and contact duration during reproduction. T1 = movement time towards face; T2 = sFST skin contact duration; T3 = movement time away from face; Subjects who performed both left- and right-handed sFST during reproduction (n = 6) did not differ in the temporal aspects of their left- and right-handed sFST (...

Means and SD of temporal aspects in seconds for face area and sound. IN = during sounds; OUT = between sounds. (DOCX)

Means and SD of temporal aspects in seconds for hand used and sound. IN = during sounds; OUT = between sounds. (DOCX)

Haptic perception is an important tool for veterinarians. The present study analyzed the association between the haptic perception threshold of veterinary students and their palpatory experience. To approach this goal, 35 female students of veterinary medicine were divided into two groups with different levels of experience: (a) students with littl...

Individuals constantly modulate their exploratory movements and adapt their internal hypotheses to incoming sensory information to achieve a thorough and realistic percept. Perception depends on the exploratory movements as well as influencing them. While this seems to be common sense, scientifically we know very little about the temporal dynamics...

Introduction: The explorative scanning movements of the hands have been compared to those of the eyes. The visual process is known to be composed of alternating phases of saccadic eye movements and fixation pauses. Descriptive results suggest that during the haptic exploration of objects short movement pauses occur as well. The goal of the present...

Extensive use of sensorimotor properties has been shown to lead to use-dependent plasticity in the human motor cortex as well as sensory areas. The sensory consequences of these cortical changes, however, remain widely unclear. We were interested whether job-related long-term haptic training is measurable in terms of changes in haptic perception (a...

Aims: The aim of the present study was to assess sensory integration ability of OCD patients with poor and good insight using a Haptic Test for adults. Study Design: Experimental design. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Psychiatry, University of Leipzig, between October 2010 and Mai 2013 Methodology: Results of 23 OCD out patients (7 poor...

Hintergrund Individuelle Dispositionen, Übung, Alter und Erkrankungen verändern die Leistungsfähigkeit der aktiven Tastwahrnehmung (haptische Wahrnehmung). Bisher standen jedoch keine objektiven Mess- und Trainingsinstrumente für die haptische Sensitivität zur Verfügung. Ziel Ziel der Studie war es, mögliche alters- und berufsabhängige Effekte bei...

The present study was designed to assess whether the visibility of ones' own exploratory movements impairs or enhances perceptual speed and precision of haptic stimuli with varying complexity. Previous studies have shown that noninformative vision of steady surroundings improves haptic spatial perception. However, due to the serial nature of haptic...