Voluntary increase in finger temperature in man in a cooling environment

Area of Science:

• Human Physiology
• Thermoregulation
• Biofeedback

Background:

• Understanding voluntary control over physiological responses is crucial for various applications.
• Skin temperature regulation is influenced by environmental factors and autonomic nervous system activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the capacity of humans to voluntarily increase skin temperature in a cool environment.
• To determine if biofeedback can facilitate voluntary control over peripheral skin temperature.

Main Methods:

• 14 subjects participated in controlled laboratory sessions with varying cool room temperatures (15.6–21.2°C).
• Skin temperatures of six fingers were continuously monitored using thermocouples.
• Subjects attempted to increase finger temperature using visual biofeedback (temperature dial) and later without feedback.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant increase in skin temperature was observed during voluntary heating trials compared to rest periods (p < 0.01).
• Individually significant temperature increases averaged 5.0°C in the best-performing finger.
• Subjects achieved higher temperatures in later sessions, even without visual biofeedback, indicating learned control.

Conclusions:

• Humans possess the ability to voluntarily increase cutaneous finger blood flow and skin temperature in cool conditions.
• This voluntary thermoregulation can be learned and sustained, suggesting potential for therapeutic applications.