<unk>  <unk>  is the ability to discern that<unk>  nearby objects touching the skin are truly<unk>  distinct<unk> s, not one. It is often tested with<unk>  sharp<unk> s during a neurological examination and is assumed to reflect how finely innervated an area of skin is. In clinical settings,<unk>  is a widely used technique for assessing tactile perception. It relies on the ability and/or willingness of the patient to subjectively report what they are feeling and should be completed with the patient’s eyes closed. The therapist may use calipers or simply a reshaped paperclip to do the testing. The therapist may alternate randomly between touching the patient with one<unk>  or with<unk><unk> s on the area being tested (e.g. finger, arm, leg, toe). The patient is asked to report whether one or<unk><unk> s was felt. The smallest distance between<unk><unk> s that still results in the perception of<unk>  distinct stimuli is recorded as the patient's<unk><unk>  threshold. Performance on the<unk>  extremities can be compared for discrepancies. Although the test is still commonly used clinically, it has been roundly criticized by many researchers as providing an invalid measure of tactile spatial acuity, and several highly regarded alternative tests have been proposed to replace it.
Two-point discrimination
Tactile discrimination
Sereny test
Vernier acuity
Modified Maddrey's discriminant function
Holtzman inkblot technique
Snellen chart
Agar dilution