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Age‐related decline in thermal adaptation capacities: An evoked potentials study
Author(s) -
Kemp Jennifer,
Després Olivier,
Pebayle Thierry,
Dufour André
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/psyp.12202
Subject(s) - psychology , adaptation (eye) , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , audiology , neuroscience , medicine
Aging is associated with changes in thermosensitivity and decreases in the functionality of the autonomic thermoregulation. The underlying mechanisms are, however, not fully understood. Elderly subjects may undergo functional changes in the integration process of the thermal sensory system, especially in their thermal adaptation capacities. To verify this hypothesis, we compared thermal evoked responses in younger and older subjects exposed to thermoneutral (27° C ) and warm (30° C ) environments. In the warm environment, the amplitudes of thermal evoked potentials ( EPs ) were significantly lower in older than in younger subjects, whereas in the thermoneutral environment, the EP amplitudes were similar in both groups. These findings suggest that thermal adaptation capacities are reduced in elderly individuals, due to a dysfunction of C ‐fibers with aging, particularly expressed by lowered adaptation capacities to temperature variations.