Temporary threshold shift of temperature sensation caused by vibration exposure

Abstract

The temporary threshold shift of temperature sensation due to vibration exposure was studied to clarify the significance of frequency and acceleration on it. The discrete frequencies of the vibrations tested were 32, 63, 125, 250 and 500 Hz, and the accelerations were at the level of 2, 4, 8 and 16 g. The threshold shift of warm sensation (TTSw) was markedly, but that of cool sensation was small and not significantly different from the control value. TTSw increased with a rise in the level of acceleration and was largest at 125 Hz among the frequencies examined. The most effective frequency among the vibrations tested for warm sensation was inferred to be lower than that for vibratory sensation. After exposure, TTSw or the increment of the neutral zone decayed exponentially but bounced slightly in the later period. These patterns of TTSw are similar to those of the vibration-induced TTS of vibratory sensation.