Taken together these findings suggest that weight
gain following tactile stimulation may be mediated by increased vagal
activity. Tactile stimulation may stimulate the vagal efferent fibers that
innervate the digestive system by stimulating baroreceptors and mechanoreceptors
within the skin. Baroreceptors and mechanoreceptors within
the skin are innervated by vagal afferent fibers, which constitute the
predominant source of afferent inputs to the neurons that give rise to
the efferent vagal fibers that provide most of the parasympathetic control
of the gastro-intestinal system [16,17]