title: Acute microcirculatory responses induced by skin-surface vibration stimulation at a frequency near the heart rate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to elucidate the frequency-specific microcirculatory blood-flow (MBF) effect induced by weak vibration stimulation (VS) in healthy human subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  VS was implemented by a rod (connected to a DC motor) hitting a water-filled bag. VS was applied to the left palm at frequencies near to the heart rate (HR) (n=35; Group A) and 50% higher than the HR (n=20; Group B), and laser-Doppler-flowmetry measurements were made on the back of the left hand (Site 1). A control group without applying VS was also used (n=21).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean MBF (MMBF), pulsatile MBF, and pulse width at Site 1 only increased significantly in Group A, and the coefficient of variance of the MMBF sequence increased significantly at Site 1 in Groups A and B.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results illustrate the VS-induced changes in the regulatory activities of arteriolar openings, and improvement of the MBF near the VS application site in Group A. The improvement in MBF depended on whether the VS frequency was near to, or higher than the HR. The present findings may be pertinent to amelioration of disease induced by an abnormal MBF.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan. hhsiu@mail.ntust.edu.tw
authors.forename: Hsin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hsiu
authors.forename: Wei-Chen
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chia-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Wei-Chung
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ming-Hung
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Chao-Tsung
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hsiao-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000737:chemistry*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D014732:Vibration; D055815:Young Adult