Abstract
We used von Frey hairs to assess the tactile sensitivity of various bodily loci in 13-17-day-old mouse fetuses. Regardless of age, more fetuses displayed evoked activity in response to stimulation applied to the nose than to any other locus. The proportion of fetuses responding to stimuli applied elsewhere increased significantly with age. Stimulation of the nose also yielded the lowest threshold for fetuses of all ages. The next lowest threshold was obtained from stimulation of the paws, followed by stimulation of the head and neck. No pattern of change in thresholds of the various regions was observed from Day 15 to Day 17. In a second experiment, we compared the tactile sensitivity of control fetuses to that of fetuses having resided singly in the uterus. Although singleton status enhances several aspects of development, it had no effect upon the development of tactile sensitivity.
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This research was supported by a grant from the Research Council of Rutgers-The State University. Thanks are extended to Ronald Gandelman for his suggestions, support, and guidance at all phases of this investigation, and to Suzanne Griest-Bousquet for her comments on the manuscript.
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Schiffman, H.R., McHale, C.A. Tactile sensitivity of the mouse fetus. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 28, 433–436 (1990). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334060
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334060