OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of long term occupational exposure to lead on function of the peripheral nervous system as reflected by vibration perception threshold (VPT), measured with a portable vibrameter. METHODS 217 Workers in a lead battery factory were required to have an annual blood lead measurement during each of the 5 years preceding this study. All were invited to take the VPT...

Sensory modulation disorder (SMD), affecting approximately 5% of children, is characterized by sensory over or under-responsiveness to a range of stimuli in several modalities. Children with over-responsiveness (SOR) demonstrate increased aversion to certain natural stimuli that manifests as increased distress and avoidance behaviors to common stimuli, accompanied by abnormal electrodermal resp...

Altered sensory perception has been found in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and might be related to aberrant sensory perception thresholds. We used the well-established, standardized Quantitative sensory testing (QST) protocol of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain to investigate 13 somatosensory parameters including thermal and tactile detection and pain thresholds i...

Corneal touch thresholds were measured in 11 people suffering from myasthenia gravis (MG) and in a control group of 20 subjects. The mean threshold in MG was 75.6 mg (SD 52) and in the control group 18.9 mg (SD 7.3); thresholds were thus significantly (p less than 0.01) raised in MG. Although it is not possible to say whether the sensory deficit is due to MG or to the treatment, the results imp...

Hypersensitivity to a variety of stimuli has been shown in whiplash associated disorders and may be indicative of peripheral nerve involvement. This cross-sectional study utilised Quantitative sensory testing (QST) including vibration, thermal, electrical detection thresholds as an indirect measure of primary afferents that mediate innocuous and painful sensation. Pain thresholds and psychologi...

Fingertip depth sense threshold has been examined in fifty normal subjects using the simple pocket aesthesiometer invented by Renfrew. Index fingers possessed the lowest thresholds and little fingers the highest, whilst there were no significant differences between the same fingers of either hand. Sex and age (at least up to 70 years) had no significant influence on depth sense threshold, but t...

This report summarizes positive reinforcement conditioning procedures for assessing sensory function in transgenic mice. To illustrate these behavioral methods auditory sensitivity was measured in mice lacking alpha9 acetylcholine receptor subunits (alpha9 knock-out mice). These receptors are known to play an important role in the efferent pathways that modify cochlear responses to sound stimul...

More investigators are recommending rapid sweep displays to estimate visual-evoked potential (VEP) sensory thresholds. Theoretically, phase-sensitive analysis offers a higher signal to noise ratio (SNR) than phase-insensitive techniques and, therefore, a more reliable and equally valid threshold estimate. Phase-sensitive analysis assumes that the VEP phase does not change over the period of one...

(-)-Rotundone is a potent odorant molecule with a characteristic spicy aroma existing in various plants including grapevines (Vitis vinifera). It is considered to be a significant compound in wines and grapes because of its low sensory threshold and aroma properties. (-)-Rotundone was first identified in red wine made from the grape cultivar Syrah and here we report the identification of VvSTO2...

UNLABELLED Neuropathic pain is characterized by persistent, intractable pain following damage or dysfunction of the nervous system. Analgesics that include central, rather than purely peripheral, targets are more effective when treating neuropathic pain, highlighting the spinal and/or supraspinal mechanisms that contribute to this aberrant pain condition. The striatum represents one of the brai...