Hyperesthesia is a condition that involves an abnormal increase in sensitivity to
stimuli of the
senses
A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the surroundings through the detection of stimuli. Although, in some cultures, five human senses were traditionally identified as su ...
. Stimuli of the senses can include sound that one hears, foods that one tastes, textures that one feels, and so forth. Increased touch sensitivity is referred to as "tactile hyperesthesia", and increased sound sensitivity is called "auditory hyperesthesia". In the context of pain, hyperaesthesia can refer to an increase in sensitivity where there is both
allodynia and
hyperalgesia
Hyperalgesia ( or ; ''hyper'' from Greek ὑπέρ (''huper'') 'over' + ''-algesia'' from Greek ἄλγος (algos) 'pain') is an abnormally increased sensitivity to pain, which may be caused by damage to nociceptors or peripheral nerves and ...
.
In psychology, Jeanne Siaud-Facchin uses the term by defining it as an "exacerbation des sens" that characterizes gifted individuals: for them, the sensory information reaches the brain much faster than the average, and the information is processed in a significantly shorter time.
Other animals
Feline hyperesthesia syndrome
First reported in 1980 by J. Tuttle in a scientific article, feline hyperesthesia syndrome, also known as rolling skin disease, is a complex and poorly understood syndrome that can affect domestic cats of any age, breed, and sex. The syndrome ...
is an uncommon but recognized condition in
cat
The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...
s, particularly
Siamese,
Burmese,
Himalayan, and
Abyssinian cats. It can affect cats of all ages, though it is most prevalent during maturity. Detection can be somewhat difficult as it is characterized by brief bursts of abnormal behavior, lasting around a minute or two.
One of its symptoms is also found in dogs that have
canine distemper disease (CD) caused by canine distemper virus (CDV).
See also
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Auditory processing disorder
Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting the way the brain processes sounds. Individuals with APD usually have normal structure and function of the ear, but cannot process the information they hear in the s ...
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Hyperacusis
Hyperacusis is an increased Hearing, sensitivity to sound and a low tolerance for environmental noise. Definitions of hyperacusis can vary significantly; it often revolves around damage to or dysfunction of the Stapes, ''stapes'' bone, stapedius ...
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Misophonia
Misophonia (or selective sound sensitivity syndrome) is a disorder of decreased Distress tolerance, tolerance to specific sounds or their associated Stimulus (psychology), stimuli, or cues. These cues, known as "triggers", are experienced as Dis ...
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Multisensory integration
Multisensory integration, also known as multimodal integration, is the study of how information from the different sensory modality, sensory modalities (such as sight, sound, touch, smell, self-motion, and taste) may be integrated by the nervous sy ...
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Sensory overload
Sensory overload occurs when one or more of the body's senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment.
There are many environmental elements that affect an individual. Examples of these elements are urbanization, crowding, noise, mas ...
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Sensory processing
Sensory processing is the process that organizes and distinguishes sensation (sensory information) from one's own body and the environment, thus making it possible to use the body effectively within the environment. Specifically, it deals with how ...
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Sensory processing disorder
Sensory processing disorder (SPD), formerly known as sensory integration dysfunction, is a condition in which multisensory input is not adequately processed in order to provide appropriate responses to the demands of the environment. Sensory ...
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Sensory processing sensitivity
Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a temperamental or personality trait involving "an increased sensitivity of the central nervous system and a deeper cognitive processing of physical, social, and emotional stimuli". The trait is charact ...
References
External links
{{Skin and subcutaneous tissue symptoms and signs
Medical signs
Symptoms and signs: Skin and subcutaneous tissue
Cat diseases
Dog diseases