Original Article
Age-related decline in thermal adaptation capacities: An evoked potentials study
Jennifer Kemp,
Olivier Després,
Thierry Pebayle,
André Dufour,
Corresponding Author
Jennifer Kemp
Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Address correspondence to: Jennifer Kemp, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 21 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorOlivier Després
Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Search for more papers by this authorThierry Pebayle
Centre d'Investigations Neurocognitives et Neurophysiologiques, UMS 3489, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Search for more papers by this authorAndré Dufour
Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Centre d'Investigations Neurocognitives et Neurophysiologiques, UMS 3489, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Search for more papers by this authorJennifer Kemp,
Olivier Després,
Thierry Pebayle,
André Dufour,
Corresponding Author
Jennifer Kemp
Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Address correspondence to: Jennifer Kemp, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 21 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorOlivier Després
Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Search for more papers by this authorThierry Pebayle
Centre d'Investigations Neurocognitives et Neurophysiologiques, UMS 3489, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Search for more papers by this authorAndré Dufour
Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Centre d'Investigations Neurocognitives et Neurophysiologiques, UMS 3489, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
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.
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