title: Multiregion thermal sensitivity mapping of the hand.
abstract: Previous neurophysiological studies of discrete hand regions have suggested the dorsum to be more sensitive to temperature changes than the palmar surface, but no multiple-region investigation of the corresponding dorsal and palmar regions has been performed. This study aimed to investigate whether the dorsum of the hand is more sensitive to temperature changes than the palm across multiple regions. In 15 healthy human volunteers, cold and warmth detection thresholds were measured in 10 defined areas of the hand using a thermode of 2.56 cm(2). The testing algorithm employed was the Method of Limits with a baseline temperature of 32 °C and a rate of change of 1°/s. In five subjects, cold-pain and heat-pain thresholds were also measured. All dorsal regions were significantly more sensitive to cold than equivalent palmar areas. Differences in warmth thresholds were not uniform but, overall, dorsal sensitivity was significantly higher. This study finds that the dorsal aspect of the hand was more sensitive to temperature changes than the palm, with higher sensitivity to painful thermal stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Medical University Vienna, CD Laboratory for Restoration of Extremity Function, Department of Surgery, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wakolbinger
authors.affiliation: Medical University Vienna, CD Laboratory for Restoration of Extremity Function, Department of Surgery, Vienna, Austria; Newcastle NHS Trust, Foundation Programme, Newcastle, UK.
authors.forename: Aidan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.affiliation: General Hospital Hietzing, Department of Dermatology, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stockinger
authors.affiliation: General Hospital Wilhelminenspital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gustorff
authors.affiliation: Medical University Vienna, CD Laboratory for Restoration of Extremity Function, Department of Surgery, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: oskar.aszmann@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Oskar C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Aszmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Cold sensation threshold; Cold-pain threshold; Hand; Heat-pain threshold; Thermal sensitivity; Warmth sensation threshold