Applied Human Science
Print ISSN : 1341-3473
ORIGINALS
Effects of Cooling Portions of the Head on Human Thermoregulatory Response
Tetsuo KatsuuraKei TomiokaHajime HaradaKoichi IwanagaYasuyuki Kikuchi
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

1996 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 67-74

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Abstract

Seven healthy young male students participated in this study. Each subject sat on a chair in an anteroom at 25°C for 30 min and then entered a climatic chamber, controlled at 40°C and R.H. 50% and sat on a chair for 90 min. Cooling of frontal portion including the region around the eyes (FC), occipital portion (OC), and temporal portion (TC) began after 50 min of entering. An experiment without head cooling (NC) was also made for the control measurement. Thermal comfort and thermal sensation were improved by head cooling, but response was the same regardless of portion cooled. Although rectal temperature, mean skin temperature and heart rate showed no significant effect due to head cooling, forearm skin blood flow (FBF), sweat rate (SR), and body weight loss (ΔWt) had a tendency to be depressed. FBF in FC and TC decreased during head cooling, but that in OC and NC did not change significantly, while SR in FC was depressed. ΔWt showed total sweating to decrease by FC and TC, and FC to have greater inhibitory effect on sweating than OC. Thermal strain was evaluated by the modified Craig Index (Is). Is in FC decreased significantly more than in NC. Cooling of other portions of the head had no significant effect on Is. Cooling of the frontal portion of the head may thus be concluded to have the most effect on thermoregulatory response in a hot environment.

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© 1996 Japan Society of Physiological Anthropology
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