Electrocutaneous spatial integration at suprathreshold levels: an additive neural model.
The effect of cathode size on estimates of the magnitude of electrocutaneous stimulation were studied. The 24 Ss made magnitude estimates for combinations of 6 cathode sizes (2.5-30 mm diameter) and 5 currents (1.5-3.3 times the threshold). Estimates for small cathodes were consistently smaller but grew more rapidly than those for intermediate and large cathodes. From the results, contours were constructed showing how area and current trade off to maintain apparent intensity. These area-current contours suggest that supersummation prevails at low estimation levels and complete summation tasks place at high levels. An additive neural model is proposed to account for the results and is also applied to other somatosensory systems.
Higashiyama
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Psychology Laboratory, University of Osaka Prefecture, Sakai, Japan.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004566:Electrodes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*