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Published on: January 29, 2014
Age, gender, and side differences of cutaneous electrical perceptual threshold testing in an able-bodied population
Grace Woon Su Leong1, Jenny Lauschke, Susan B Rutowski
1Spinal Injuries Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. grleong@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Objective:
To investigate age, gender, and left-right differences in cutaneous electrical perceptual threshold (EPT) testing in an able-bodied, Australian sample.
Study Design:
Prospective experimental.
Setting:
Hospital-based spinal cord injuries unit.
Methods:
Cutaneous electrical stimulation of the 28 dermatomes at ASIA sensory key points (C2-S4/S5) was performed on 29 female and 16 male healthy volunteers aged 21 to 76 years. Mean EPTs for each dermatome were compared (repeated measures ANOVA) for left-right, gender-related, and age-related (50 years of age) differences.
Results:
There was no group difference between sides (repeated measures ANOVA, P = 0.934). Women across all ages had lower group mean EPTs than men (P < 0.0001). Women younger than age 50 years had lower mean EPTs than those older than age 50 years (P = 0.008). There was no group difference between younger and older men (P = 0.371). Analysis of individual dermatomes revealed no significant differences in thoracic dermatomes between genders or age groups, contrary to the limb dermatomes.
Conclusion:
There were gender differences in EPT values across all ages. Women had higher EPTs as they advanced in age, but this was less clear in men. There was considerable somatotopic variability in EPTs, especially in the lower limbs. If EPT testing is to be applied to detect subclinical changes within a dermatome, establishment of age- and gender-specific somatotopic normograms is a prerequisite.
