Haptic perception: From the skin to the brain

This chapter reviews the neural bases of haptic perception from skin to the brain, referring to research from perceptual and neurophysiological responses in animals and humans. Haptic perception, or active touch, is more than passive tactile perception because not only does the world touch us, but we explore the world actively through with our hands, fingers, and bodies. The motor capabilities of our hands extract important characteristics necessary for identifying and using objects. Thus, the haptic system processes the material properties of objects and surfaces via the mediation of cutaneous and kinesthetic afferent subsystems.