Body temperatures, thermal comfort, and neuropsychological responses to air temperatures ranging between 12°C and 39°C in people with Multiple Sclerosis
Body temperatures, thermal comfort, and neuropsychological responses to air temperatures ranging between 12°C and 39°C in people with Multiple Sclerosis
The negative effects of thermal stress on Multiple Sclerosis (MS)' symptoms have long been known. However, the underlying mechanisms of MS heat and cold intolerance remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate body temperatures, thermal comfort, and neuropsychological responses to air temperatures between 12 to 39°C in people with MS compared to healthy controls (CTR). Twelve MS (5 males/7 females; age: 48.3±10.8 years; EDSS range: 1-7) and 11 CTR participants (4 males /7 females; age: 47.5±11.3 years) underwent two 50-min trials in a climatic chamber. Air temperature was ramped from 24°C to either 39°C (HEAT) or 12°C (COLD) and we continuously monitored participants' mean skin (Tsk) and rectal temperatures (Trec), heart rate and mean arterial pressure. We recorded participants' self-reported thermal sensation and comfort, mental and physical fatigue, and we assessed their cognitive performance (information processing). Changes in mean Tsk and Trec did not differ between MS and CTR neither during HEAT nor COLD. However, at the end of the HEAT trial, 83% of MS participants and 36% of CTR participants reported being "uncomfortable". Furthermore, self-reports of mental and physical fatigue increased significantly in MS but not CTR (p<0.05), during both HEAT and COLD. Information processing was lower in MS vs. CTR (p<0.05); yet this cognitive impairment was not exacerbated by HEAT nor COLD (p>0.05). Our findings indicate that neuropsychological factors (i.e. discomfort and fatigue) could contribute to MS heat and cold intolerance in the absence of deficits in the control of body temperature.
body temperature regulation, cold, heat, multiple sclerosis, thermal comfort
Christogianni, Aikaterini
696c8a6c-30d6-4fb1-b7e4-70d45997180b
Bibb, Richard
249dd806-b589-48d1-8568-b28b88a8989c
Filingeri, Davide
42502a34-e7e6-4b49-b304-ce2ae0bf7b24
1 July 2023
Christogianni, Aikaterini
696c8a6c-30d6-4fb1-b7e4-70d45997180b
Bibb, Richard
249dd806-b589-48d1-8568-b28b88a8989c
Filingeri, Davide
42502a34-e7e6-4b49-b304-ce2ae0bf7b24
Christogianni, Aikaterini, Bibb, Richard and Filingeri, Davide
(2023)
Body temperatures, thermal comfort, and neuropsychological responses to air temperatures ranging between 12°C and 39°C in people with Multiple Sclerosis.
Physiology & Behavior, 266 (7), [114179].
(doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114179).
Abstract
The negative effects of thermal stress on Multiple Sclerosis (MS)' symptoms have long been known. However, the underlying mechanisms of MS heat and cold intolerance remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate body temperatures, thermal comfort, and neuropsychological responses to air temperatures between 12 to 39°C in people with MS compared to healthy controls (CTR). Twelve MS (5 males/7 females; age: 48.3±10.8 years; EDSS range: 1-7) and 11 CTR participants (4 males /7 females; age: 47.5±11.3 years) underwent two 50-min trials in a climatic chamber. Air temperature was ramped from 24°C to either 39°C (HEAT) or 12°C (COLD) and we continuously monitored participants' mean skin (Tsk) and rectal temperatures (Trec), heart rate and mean arterial pressure. We recorded participants' self-reported thermal sensation and comfort, mental and physical fatigue, and we assessed their cognitive performance (information processing). Changes in mean Tsk and Trec did not differ between MS and CTR neither during HEAT nor COLD. However, at the end of the HEAT trial, 83% of MS participants and 36% of CTR participants reported being "uncomfortable". Furthermore, self-reports of mental and physical fatigue increased significantly in MS but not CTR (p<0.05), during both HEAT and COLD. Information processing was lower in MS vs. CTR (p<0.05); yet this cognitive impairment was not exacerbated by HEAT nor COLD (p>0.05). Our findings indicate that neuropsychological factors (i.e. discomfort and fatigue) could contribute to MS heat and cold intolerance in the absence of deficits in the control of body temperature.
Text
2023_MSchamberExp_PhysBeh
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 26 March 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 April 2023
Published date: 1 July 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
AC was supported by a PhD Scholarship funded by Loughborough University, UK .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)
Keywords:
body temperature regulation, cold, heat, multiple sclerosis, thermal comfort
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 478567
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/478567
ISSN: 0031-9384
PURE UUID: 63c2503b-6855-469c-925d-7f4c7f1c1d36
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 04 Jul 2023 18:10
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:05
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Aikaterini Christogianni
Author:
Richard Bibb
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
