The effect of temperature on antidromic median sensory conduction

Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1993 Mar;33(2):125-8.

Abstract

It has been well documented that sensory nerve conduction studies are influenced by many factors. Twenty-two healthy subjects were electrophysiologically evaluated to measure the onset latency, peak latency and amplitude (baseline to negative peak) after cooling the non-dominant hand. The distal onset latency was prolonged by 0.06 msec/degrees C, peak latency by 0.1 msec/degrees C and the amplitude was increased by 1.8 microV/degrees C by cooling hand skin temperature from 34 to 26 degrees C. These results can be used to extrapolate the value at normal physiologic skin temperature for the subject whose temperature is lower than normal. The results were compared with previous reports.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Hand / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neural Conduction / physiology*
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Regression Analysis
  • Skin Temperature / physiology*