An examination of five theoretical foundations associated with localized thermosensory testing

Abstract

Purpose To assess five theoretical foundations underlying thermosensory testing using local thermal stimuli. Methods Thermal sensation, discomfort and the confidence of thermal sensation scores were measured in 9 female and 8 male volunteers in response to 17 physical contact temperature stimuli, ranging between 18–42 °C. These were applied to their dorsal forearm and lateral torso, across two sessions. Results Thermal sensation to physical temperature relationships followed a positive linear and sigmoidal fit at both forearm (r2 = 0.91/r2 = 0.91, respectively) and lateral torso (r2 = 0.90/ r2 = 0.91, respectively). Thermal discomfort to physical temperature relationships followed second and third-order fits at both forearm (r2 = 0.33/r2 = 0.34, respectively) and lateral torso (r2 = 0.38/r2 = 0.39, respectively) test sites. There were no sex-related or regional site differences in thermal sensation and discomfort across a wide range of physical contact temperatures. The median confidence of an individual’s thermal sensation rating was measured at 86%. Conclusion The relation between thermal sensation and physical contact temperature was well described by both linear and sigmoidal models, i.e., the distance between the thermal sensation anchors is close to equal in terms of physical temperatures changes for the range studied. Participants rated similar thermal discomfort level in both cold and hot thermal stimuli for a given increase or decrease in physical contact temperature or thermal sensation. The confidence of thermal sensation rating did not depend on physical contact temperature.

Evaluating the Design and Repeatability of a Novel Device to Measure Friction of Mechanical Surrogate Skins in Contact with Cotton Textiles

“…The skin and fabric interaction system provides a thermal and sensorial state of comfort, and maintains the healthy physical state of an individual [1]. Understanding local thermal, mechanical and wetness perception to external stimuli, as well as the level of friction during the skin-textile interaction is essential when investigating the comfort of clothing [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. In addition, it is widely known that the occurrence of undesirable levels of skin friction has the potential to generate skin-related health problems such as irritations, abrasions, and blisters [11][12][13][14].…”

Differential Cutaneous Thermal Sensitivity in Humans: Method of Limit vs. Method of Sensation Magnitude

“…The stimulator was placed onto each skin site for 10 s while the temperature was kept constant. Next, the participants were asked to indicate the level of their temperature sensation using an 11 level scale (0: Not cold/hot; 0: Extremely cold/hot) adopted from previous studies [ 18 ].…”

Evaluating the Repeatability of Friction Coefficient Measurements and Tactile Perceptions in Skin–Textile Interactions Across Body Regions

“…The portable handheld device introduced by Temel et al [28] was used in this study. Briefly, the device measures the friction coefficient between skin and textiles (e.g., cotton, polyester, silk), as well as objectively assessing regional perception using the localised sensory texting methods [29]. This device works by reciprocating movement, where a superior direction (from feet to head) is presented as a positive value, whilst an inferior direction (from head to feet) of the probe is presented as a negative value.…”