Soft touch stimulation can be decoded as positive tactile information, though little is known about the neurobiological brain mechanisms involved. The Subparafascicular Thalamic Nucleus (SPF) receives input from the spinal dorsal horn and sends projections to brain regions processing the affective component of pain such as the amygdala and insular cortex. Recent studies have suggested that SPF act as a gate of threatening cues and is important for aversive learning (Kang et al., Cell Reports, 2022). Here, we investigated if the SPF is also involved in positive aspects of sensory processing, such as soft touch. We evaluated touch assays that can have a potential pleasant value to the mice. Using immunohistochemistry, we used cFos as an indicator of immediate early gene expression in response to these assays. The first stimulation protocol involved a homecage with enrichment covered by a soft blanket where the mice could move freely. The other protocol involved several days of acclimatization to soft brush body stroking. The relative cFos activity in different parts of SPF is being analysed as well as potential lateralization of soft touch processing. Preliminary data suggest that neurons in the SPF are activated by soft touch and that brush stimulation engages the SPF to a higher degree than blanket cage. In ongoing experiments, we compare cFos activity in response to homecage controls and vonFrey stimulation. In future experiments we will assess the pleasantness of the stimulus by using an established conditional place preference test (Liu et al., Science, 2022).