title: Relationship between electrical skin resistance and rectal temperature in man during physical exercise.
abstract: Electrical skin resistance (ESR) and rectal temperature (Tre) were examined in 13 unacclimated human subjects performing bicycle exercise at an intensity of 50% VO2max. After the beginning of exercise the electrical skin resistance decreased according to an exponential curve with a delay of 4 min and time constant of 9 min. The dynamic parameters of ESR were shorter than those reported for sweating. Statistical analysis showed a correlation between individual time constants of ESR and increases in rectal temperature of the subjects (r = 0.705, p less than 0.01). It is concluded that measurement of dynamics of the electrical skin resistance may be useful for estimation of thermal effects in exercising subjects.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011930:Reaction Time; D012007:Rectum; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena