According to a recent study, published in Current Biology, stroking a baby can relieve them from pain by reducing activity in their brain that is associated with painful experiences.
A subclass of C fibre sensory neurons are found in hairy skin that get activated by gentle touch and respond optimally by stroking at a particular speed.
In adult humans, stimulation of these C-tactile (CT) afferents is pleasant and can reduce pain perception, the study mentions.
Previous studies have also shown that touch-based techniques like infant massage and kangaroo care can lead to considerable reduction in pain-related behavioral and physiological responses.
This particular study investigated whether touch can reduce noxious-evoked brain activity.
Stroking at 3 cm per second before an experimental noxious (unpleasant) stimulus can mitigate noxious-evoked brain activity in infants.
The Study
The researchers studied brain activity of 32 babies while they underwent blood tests. Sixteen of them were stroked with a soft brush beforehand and they showed 40 percent less pain activity in their brain.
A report by the BBC mentions study author Rebeccah Slater,
Touch seems to have analgesic potential without the risk of side-effects.
She added that parents intuitively stroke their babies at this optimal velocity.
“If we can better understand the neurobiological underpinnings of techniques like infant massage, we can improve the advice we give to parents on how to comfort their babies.”
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