Vibrotactile forward masking: Psychophysical evidence for a triplex theory of cutaneous mechanoreception

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Abstract
Threshold shifts for the detection of vibrotactile test stimuli were determined as a function of the intensity of a masker. A 50-ms sinusoidal test stimulus was applied to the thenar eminence of the hand 25 ms after the termination of a 700-ms sinusoidal masker applied to the same site. The frequency of the test stimulus and the frequency of the masker were varied. To eliminate the influence of the Pacinian receptor system, stimuli were delivered through a 0.01-cm2 contactor. The detection of vibration delivered through a small contactor is determined by 2 separate populations of non-Pacinian receptors. The study constitutes a psychophysical demonstration of the existence of 3 receptor systems responsible for the detection of vibration.

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