NCT05464758

The Effects of Cold Adaptation on Skin Blood Flow, Hand Function, and Comfort in Healthy Adults

The Effects of Cold Habituation on Peripheral Blood Flow, Hand Function, and Thermal Comfort

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 16 (actual)
• Sponsor: United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 39 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

• Cold Exposure

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Repeated cold exposure	8 consecutive days of exposure to 8°C air for 120 minutes each day

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-08-01
• Primary completion: 2024-09-13
• Completion: 2024-09-13
• First posted: 2022-07-19
• Last updated: 2025-12-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States