Stimulator to Quantify Cutaneous Sensation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Manual therapies are currently used to treat a number of conditions that result in altered cutaneous sensation. One way that has been used to assess the effect of manual therapies in such conditions has been to evaluate any changes in sensation before and after the treatment. However this has typically been done using methods that are quite imprecise. We propose to develop a computer-controlled mechanical cutaneous stimulator that will indent the skin and allow for quantitative determination of the thresholds for either gentle indentation or pain. The stimulator will be operated with a set of programs that will allow for (a) quantifying the degree of sensory loss or enhancement at a particular location, (b) determining the physical extent of the affected area, and (c) determining changes in these parameters over time We propose to develop a system comprising a computer-controlled mechanical stimulator that will indent the skin and allow for quantitative determination of the thresholds for either gentle indentation or pain. The stimulator will be operated with a set of programs that will allow for (a) quantifying the degree of sensory loss or enhancement at a particular location, (b) determining the physical extent of the affected area, and (c) determining changes in these parameters over time.