title: Sympathetic skin response evoked by laser skin stimulation.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evoke sympathetic skin responses (SSRs) in healthy subjects using laser stimulation and to compare these responses with those induced by conventional electrical stimuli. Twenty healthy subjects were investigated. SSRs were obtained using electrical and laser stimuli delivered to the wrist controlateral to the recording site. The sympathetic sudomotor conduction velocity (SSFCV) was measured in 8 subjects by simultaneously recording the SSR from the hand and the axilla. The latency (L) of the laser-induced SSR (ISSR) was significantly longer than that of the electrically-evoked SSR (eSSR) (mean ISSRL= 1.7 +/- 0.145 ms, mean eSSRL= 1.56 +/- 0.14 ms, p<0.05). The amplitude (A) of the ISSR was lower than the eSSR amplitude (mean ISSRA = 1.31 +/- 0.26 mV, mean eSSRA = 2.59 +/- 0.49 mV, p<0.05). No significant difference between the ISSR and eSSR was observed in either the SSFCV or the variability and reproducibility parameters. Our findings show that SSRs can easily be induced by laser stimuli and that this method shares the technical limitations of conventional eSSRs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurology and Otorhinolaryngology, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. paolo.rossi90@tin.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Truini
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serrao
authors.forename: Gian Domenico
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Iannetti
authors.forename: Leoluca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pozzessere
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cruccu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001365:Axilla / Q000294:innervation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013545:Sweat Glands / Q000294:innervation; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*