title: Cold pressor stimulation diminishes P50 amplitude in normal subjects.
abstract: The present study examined how cold pressor stimulation influences electrophysiological correlates of arousal. We measured the P50 auditory evoked response potential in two groups of subjects who immersed their foot in either cold (0-2°C) or room temperature (22-24°C) water for 50 seconds. The P50, which was recorded before and after stimulation, is sleep-state dependent and sensitive to states of arousal in clinical populations. We found a significant reduction in P50 amplitude after exposure to cold, but not room temperature water. In comparison with other studies, these results indicate that cold pressor stimulation in normal subjects may evoke a regulatory process that modulates the P50 amplitude, perhaps to preserve the integrity of sensory perception, even as autonomic and subjective aspects of arousal increase.
authors: Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. adwoods@mail.med.upenn.edu.
authors: Adam J
authors: AJ
authors: Woods
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Philbeck
authors: Kenneth
authors: K
authors: Chelette
authors: Robert D
authors: RD
authors: Skinner
authors: Edgar
authors: E
authors: Garcia-Rill
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Mennemeier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000294:innervation; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D055815:Young Adult