Role of the Brain in Sensory Experiences

Touch, Itch and Tickle

The human brain plays a crucial role in the sensations of touch, itch and tickle as well as the perception of these sensations. This is primarily because the brain enables us to feel these sensations and the processes that contribute to them. While the brain allows us to feel these sensations, it sometimes plays tricks on us with regards to touch, itch and tickle. Generally, sensations like touch, itch and tickle can be described as conscious or unconscious awareness of internal or external stimuli. The perception of these sensations is in turn described as the conscious understanding and interpretation of these feelings. The role of the brain in sensations and their associated perceptions is attributable to brain components that obtain sensory input, integrate and hoard information, and convey motor reactions.

Sensory Experiences

Touch, itch and tickle are examples of sensory experiences brought by either internal or external stimuli or conditions in the body. The nature of each of these sensory experiences is dependent on the destination of stimuli or impulses in the central nervous system, which also influences the type of reaction generated from the sensation. The occurrence of these sensations is usually characterized by several events including stimulation of the receptor, transformation of the stimulus into a graded probability, production of impulses once the graded probability reaches threshold, and combination or integration of the sensory stimuli by the central nervous system (Kenny, n.d.).

There are different kinds of sensations that are largely influenced by sensory modalities including touch, vision, itch, tickle, vibration, pain, hearing, and temperature. The existence of different types of sensations is attributed to the fact that every kind of sensory neuron can react to one a single type of stimulus. This in turn generates a specific impulse following the conversion of the stimulus into a graded potential. Given the existence of different kinds of sensations, there are two major categories of sensory modalities i.e. general senses (somatic and visceral) and special senses.

Role of the Brain in Sensory Experiences

As previously mentioned, the human brain plays a crucial role in our ability to experience and feel different sensations such as touch, itch and tickle. In this case, the human brain not only influences ability to feel these sensations but also influence our perceptions of the sensations. According to Goldstein (2010), touch, itch and tickle are among commonplace sensory experiences that are part of a huge constellation of skin senses. While these sensations are sometimes linked perceptually, they are usually distinct since they are provoked by significantly different stimuli. For instance, itch is evoked by chemicals that are particular for the sensation which tickle is evoked by touch stimulation.

Our brains allow us to feel these sensations through the various tactile receptors that are linked to a wide range of nerves. Most of these tactile receptors use A beta fibers to convey their signals from the skin to the brain through an extremely rapid process. The human brain comprises various components which interact to obtain sensory input, combine and store associated information, and convey different motor responses. Moreover, there are different pathways for sensations from the skin or body to the brain as well as pathways for motor responses from the brain to the body. The posterior column pathway carries sensory information up the spine to the brain, which in turn contributes to conscious awareness and understanding of the sensory experiences.

In essence, the human brain is where all sensory information delivered from various body parts is integrated and processed in the primary sensory cortex. Once these signals from the body are received by the brain, they are sorted and classified depending on the nature of the receptors such as touch, itch and tickle (Middleton, 2008). Every cell group comprises a series of columnar brain structures that are committed to touch and other sensory experiences like itch and tickle. As the signal from the body or skin moves deeper into the brain, it becomes more precise as the brain recognizes edges and motion, which in turn allows us to feel the sensation. For tickle and itch, free nerve endings are the receptors involved in the sensations. Signals and information regarding these sensations is transmitted from the body to the brain through slow, unmyelinated nerve fibres in the spinothalamic tract.

With regards to our perceptions of these sensations, psychological factors play a crucial role in our interpretation of sensory experiences. This is primarily because of huge, significant differences in people's sensitivity and response to touch, itch and tickle. While itch and tickle are produced by relatively similar stimuli in free nerve ending receptors, people's perceptions of these sensations differ depending on psychological factors. Psychological factors influence the ability of an individual to interpret these sensations as pleasurable or unpleasant.

The role of the brain in our perception of these sensations is attributable to classification and processing of the signals once they reach the brain. The pathway for touch, itch and tickle from the body to the brain is the anterior spinothalamic tract. Once these signals reach the thalamus, they are sorted and processed before being transmitted to the primary sensory cortex in the cerebral hemispheres (Middleton, 2008). The sorting and processing of these signals relating to different sensory experiences in the thalamus is the basis through which the brain influences our perception of the sensation. The processing not only influences our ability to determine the specific kind of sensory experience but also influences our interpretation of each of these sensory experiences.

Tricks by the Brain

Even though the human brain plays an important role in feeling different sensory experiences and determining our perceptions of these sensations, it sometimes plays tricks on us with regards to these different sensory experiences. These tricks are attributable to the several limitations and patterns of the brain that leads us astray in different ways. With regards o touch, itch and tickle, our brain can play tricks on us through taking shortcuts in sorting and processing their associated signals. The brain uses mental shortcuts, which are commonly known as heuristics, to influence how we perceive the sensations of touch, itch and tickle.