Papers
5
Total Citations
316
H-Index
5
About
Ilona Croy is a prominent sensory neuroscientist whose research sits at the compelling intersection of affective touch, multisensory perception, and social cognition. Her work has made foundational contributions to our understanding of how humans perceive and process pleasant tactile stimulation, with particular focus on the C-tactile afferent system — the neural pathway underlying gentle, social touch. Croy's most influential work explores the biological and contextual factors shaping touch perception. Her 2013 study (108 citations) demonstrated that CT-optimized skin stroking delivered by a robot is perceptually comparable to human-administered touch, a finding with significant implications for clinical and therapeutic applications. She has further shown that olfactory cues can powerfully modulate tactile pleasantness, revealing important cross-modal sensory interactions. Her investigations into hair follicle density and its relationship to touch sensitivity have shed new light on the peripheral architecture underlying affective touch processing. With work spanning sex differences in social touch, individual preferences in stroking velocity, and multisensory integration, Croy has built a cohesive and impactful body of research. Her studies, accumulating hundreds of citations, have become essential references for researchers investigating the neurobiological and psychosocial dimensions of human touch.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1CT-optimized skin stroking delivered by hand or robot is comparable108 citations · 2013
- 2Reduced Pleasant Touch Appraisal in the Presence of a Disgusting Odor91 citations · 2014
- 3The relation between human hair follicle density and touch perception58 citations · 2017
- 4
- 5The individual preferred velocity of stroking touch as a stable measurement29 citations · 2017