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Age-related decrease in sensitivity to electrical stimulation is unrelated to skin conductance: an evoked potentials

J Kemp¹, O Després¹, T Pebayle²

¹Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364 - UdS - CNRS, 21 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France.

Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology

|September 28, 2013

Summary

Aging does not decrease skin sensitivity to electrical stimuli. Instead, reduced nerve function in older adults causes diminished somatosensory perception and higher electrical thresholds.

Keywords:

Aging Electrical stimulations Evoked potentials Received intensity Setpoint intensity Skin conductance Somatosensitivity

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Gerontology
Biophysics

Background:

Skin hydration decreases with age, potentially increasing electrical resistance.
This change in electrical properties might explain age-related differences in perceiving electrical stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if aging affects the perception of electrical stimulation.
To determine if changes in skin physiology or nervous system function are responsible for age-related differences in somatosensory perception.

Main Methods:

Compared perceived electrical stimulus intensity in younger and older adults at equivalent current levels.
Utilized somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) for objective somatosensitivity assessment.

Main Results:

Older adults reported significantly lower perceived intensities at equivalent current levels.
SEPs showed longer latencies and reduced amplitudes in older adults, confirming reduced somatosensitivity.

Conclusions:

Age-related decline in somatosensitivity to electrical stimuli is not caused by altered skin physiology.
Increased electrical sensory and pain thresholds in aging are likely due to peripheral or central nervous system dysfunction.