Gregory J. Gerling

This paper develops a 3-D DIC setup to study fingertip deformation during contact initiation, revealing rapid skin deformation and friction's role in partial slip.

The paper shows that SA-II and HFA afferents can distinguish social touch inputs with high accuracy using 3-4 seconds of firing data, outperforming other afferent types.

The paper examines the link between maternal postpartum depression and infant neural sensitivity to affective touch, finding reduced perceptual sensitivity in infants of mothers with higher depression levels.

The paper identifies PIEZO2-dependent mechanical pain in humans and mice, showing hair-pull pain is mediated by Aβ inputs and specific nociceptors.

This study shows that skin stiffness, not finger size, is a key factor in tactile acuity, as softer skin improves object discrimination through greater deformation patterns.

The paper identifies five functionally distinct mechanosensory neuron subsets in the mouse tongue using in vivo calcium imaging and clustering analysis of their response profiles to mechanical stimuli.