The Effects of Cold Adaptation on Skin Blood Flow, Hand Function, and Comfort in Healthy Adults
-
- STATUS
- Recruiting
-
- End date
- Sep 30, 2023
-
- participants needed
- 15
-
- sponsor
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
Summary
In cold weather environments, blood flow to the extremities is significantly reduced, which severely impairs hand function and induces thermal discomfort. Prolonged or repeated cold exposure elicits an adaptive habituation response that is characterized by blunted skin vasoconstriction and thus may be an effective strategy to improve peripheral perfusion, reduce thermal discomfort, and maintain hand function during cold weather military operations. Since mission conditions often involve low ambient temperatures, countermeasures that reduce cold-induced decrements in hand function and thermal comfort are important to enhance Warfighter readiness in cold weather battlefield environments. The goals of this study are to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of cold habituation in improving skin blood flow, hand function, and thermal comfort during cold exposure and 2) identify the mechanisms that contribute to improvements in skin blood flow following habituation.
Description
Participants (n=15, 18-39 yrs) will complete a preliminary cold air exposure (baseline testing) followed by 8 days of repeated cold air exposures with minimal clothing. The cold exposures will be 2 hours in duration and will be conducted in 8°C (46°F) conditions. Before and after the repeated cold exposures, participants will undergo hand function tests, assessments of thermal comfort, and skin blood flow testing.
Details
| Condition | Cold Exposure |
|---|---|
| Treatment | Repeated cold exposure |
| Clinical Study Identifier | NCT05464758 |
| Sponsor | United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine |
| Last Modified on | 4 October 2022 |
How to participate?
,
You have contacted , on
Your message has been sent to the study team at ,
What happens next?
- You can expect the study team to contact you via email or phone in the next few days.
- Sign up as volunteer to help accelerate the development of new treatments and to get notified about similar trials.
You are contacting
Primary Contact
Additional screening procedures may be conducted by the study team before you can be confirmed eligible to participate.
Learn moreIf you are confirmed eligible after full screening, you will be required to understand and sign the informed consent if you decide to enroll in the study. Once enrolled you may be asked to make scheduled visits over a period of time.
Learn moreComplete your scheduled study participation activities and then you are done. You may receive summary of study results if provided by the sponsor.
Learn moreSimilar trials to consider
Browse trials for
Not finding what you're looking for?
Sign up as a volunteer to stay informed
Every year hundreds of thousands of volunteers step forward to participate in research. Sign up as a volunteer and receive email notifications when clinical trials are posted in the medical category of interest to you.
Sign up as volunteer