Establishment of optimal two-point discrimination test method and consideration of reproducibility
Establishment of optimal two-point discrimination test method and consideration of reproducibility
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最优两点辨别测试方法的建立及重现性的考虑
DOI：
10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134525
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发表时间：
2020
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Onishi Hideaki
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Yokota Hirotake;Otsuru Naofumi;Kikuchi Rie;Suzuki Rinako;Kojima Sho;Saito Kei;Miyaguchi Shota;Inukai Yasuto;Onishi Hideaki
两点辨别（Two-point discrimination， TPD）作为一种检测高阶知觉功能的参数在康复治疗领域得到了广泛的应用。先前的研究表明，TPD阈值随着年龄增长或中风或慢性疼痛等病理状况而增加。也有报道称，通过持续的触觉或电刺激可以降低阈值。大脑皮层的认知过程已被证明与TPD阈值的确定有关。然而，TPD的可靠性一直受到质疑，因为反应受体和传入纤维的放电速率存在差异，这取决于测量仪器的使用方式。为了研究刺激条件对TPD阈值的影响，我们利用计算机控制的两点触觉刺激器，通过交替刺激速度和刺激穿透深度来测量TPD阈值。我们发现，刺激速度为5.0 mm/s或10.0 mm/s，刺激穿透深度为1.0 mm是测量的最佳条件，此时TPD阈值最低。我们还发现，在本实验中使用的刺激条件下，重复测量对阈值没有影响。我们的研究结果表明，TPD测量应该在一定的刺激条件下进行，正如本研究所确定的那样，以获得反映被试空间辨别能力最高的可靠结果。
Two-point discrimination (TPD) has been widely used as a parameter for the examination of higher-order perceptual functions in the field of rehabilitation. Previous research has shown that the threshold of TPD increases with aging or pathological conditions such as stroke or chronic pain. It has also been reported that the threshold can be decreased by continuous tactile or electrical stimulation. The cognitive process in the cortex has been shown to be involved in the determination of the TPD threshold. However, the reliability of TPD has been questioned, because differences in the firing rate of the responding receptors and afferent fibers occur, depending on how the measuring instrument is applied. To investigate the influence of the stimulus condition on the TPD threshold, we utilized a computer-controlled two-point tactile stimulator and measured the TPD threshold by alternating stimulus speed and stimulus penetration depths. We found that a stimulus speed of 5.0 mm/s or 10.0 mm/s and a stimulus penetration depth of 1.0 mm were the optimum condition for measurement, at which the TPD threshold becomes lowest. We also found that no influence is exerted on the threshold by repeated measurement under the stimulus conditions utilized in this experiment. Our findings suggest that TPD measurement should be performed under certain stimulus conditions, as identified in this present study, to obtain reliable results that reflect the highest ability of the subject for spatial discrimination.