Ruffell C M, Griffin M J
Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, UK.
Cent Eur J Public Health. 1995;3 Suppl:81-4.
Hand-transmitted vibration has been observed to cause a wide variety of different signs and symptoms of neurological dysfunction. Different tests of tactile sensitivity, encompassing sensations of pressure, vibration, pain and temperature have been employed in the quantification of the sensorineural effects of vibration. However, since the results of such tests are dependent on different variables, and different versions of each test are used in different laboratories, the results are rarely reported in a manner allowing a direct comparison of results between studies. This paper reports on an investigation of the repeatability of thermotactile thresholds, as used in the detection of some neurological effects of hand-transmitted vibration. In the test, the temperature of a surface increased or decreased from a fixed reference (i.e. starting) temperature at a rate of 1 degree C per second. In a group of 10 health male subjects, five measures of both warm and cool thermal thresholds were obtained with each of 5 different starting temperatures on each of 3 different days. The 'neutral zone' between the warm and cool thresholds was also calculated. The starting temperature was found to have a significant effect on warm and cool thresholds, and less effect on the width of the neutral zone. It is concluded that the starting temperature should be controlled when determining thermotactile thresholds.
业已观察到，手部传递的振动会引发各种各样不同的神经功能障碍体征和症状。为了量化振动对感觉神经的影响，人们采用了不同的触觉敏感度测试方法，包括对压力、振动、疼痛和温度的感知测试。然而，由于此类测试的结果取决于不同变量，且每个测试的不同版本在不同实验室中使用，因此研究结果很少以能够直接比较各研究结果的方式进行报告。本文报告了一项关于热触觉阈值重复性的调查，该阈值用于检测手部传递振动的某些神经学效应。在测试中，一个表面的温度以每秒1摄氏度的速率从固定的参考（即起始）温度升高或降低。在一组10名健康男性受试者中，在3个不同的日子里，针对5个不同的起始温度，分别获得了5次温暖和凉爽热阈值测量值。还计算了温暖和凉爽阈值之间的“中性区”。结果发现，起始温度对温暖和凉爽阈值有显著影响，而对中性区宽度的影响较小。得出的结论是，在确定热触觉阈值时应控制起始温度。
