[Effect of increase and decrease of measurement voltage on skin impedance].

The skin impedance has been used as an index to plot out the meridian courses. In most of this kind of methods during measurement voltage was necessary to deliver to the subject's skin. It is unknown whether increasing the measuring voltage can change non-low skin impedance points (non-LSIP) into low skin impedance points (LSIP). In order to clarify the problem, we made an investigation on the effect of increasing and decreasing the measuring voltage on skin impedance. Subjects under observation were 12 healthy volunteers. On the medial side of forearm two levels were selected for measurement. Four or twenty non-LISP were observed on each level. The measuring system worked on the basis of bioelectrode method. The measurement and data processing were controlled by microcomputer. During measurement impedance of LSIP decreased correspondingly with the increase of voltage and vice versa, but the value of impedance was not exceeded 100k omega in spite of increasing or decreasing the voltage. That is, low impedance is the inherent characteristics of LSIP. On the contrary, the impedance of non-LSIP remained in higher than 600k omega in most of cases during increasing voltage from 10 to 50v. As the voltage increased to 65v, the impedance in a part of non-LSIP decreased to such a low level as LSIP. However, their impedance increased rapidly to high level again once the measuring voltage decreased. The above results reveal that the response of non-LSIPs and LSIPs were different from each other in nature. Increasing the voltage could not change a non-LSIP into LSIP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)