Authors:	Kaufmann, Lena V. Brecht, Michael Ishiyama, Shimpei
Title:	Tickle contagion in the rat somatosensory cortex
Online publication date:	8-Feb-2023
Year of first publication:	2022
Language:	english
Abstract:	The cellular mechanisms of emotional contagion are unknown. We investigated tickle contagion and the underlying neuronal representations in playful rats. We recorded trunk somatosensory cortex activity of observer rats while they received tickling and audiovisual playback of tickling footage and while they witnessed tickling of demonstrator rats. Observers vocalized and showed “Freudensprünge” (“joy jumps”) during witnessing live tickling, while they showed little behavioral responses to playbacks. Deep layers in the trunk somatosensory neurons showed a larger correlation between direct and witnessed tickling responses compared to superficial layers. Trunk somatosensory neurons discharged upon emission of own and demonstrator’s vocalizations and might drive contagious “laughter”. We conclude that trunk somatosensory cortex might represent ticklishness contagion.
DDC:	610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences
Institution:	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department:	FB 04 Medizin
Place:	Mainz
ROR:	https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI:	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-8660
Version:	Published version
Publication type:	Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Document type specification:	Scientific article
License:	CC BY
Information on rights of use:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal:	iScience 25 12
Pages or article number:	105718
Publisher:	Elsevier
Publisher place:	Amsterdam
Issue date:	2022
ISSN:	2589-0042
Publisher DOI:	10.1016/j.isci.2022.105718
Appears in collections:	DFG-491381577-G