Age related changes in skin sensitivity assessed with smartphone vibration testing

Abstract

The capacity to perceive tactile input at the fingertips, referred to as tactile sensitivity, is known to diminish with age due to regressive changes to mechanoreceptor density and morphology. Sensitivity is measured as perceptual responses to stimuli of varying intensity. Contrary to traditional sensitivity monitoring instruments, smartphones are uniquely suited for remote assessment and have shown to deliver highly calibrated stimuli along a broad spectrum of intensity, which may improve test reliability. The aim of this study was to evaluate a vibration-emitting smartphone application, the Vibratus App, as a mode of estimating tactile sensory thresholds in the aging adult. The peripheral nerve function of 40 neurologically healthy volunteers (ages 18–71) was measured using monofilaments, a 128-Hz tuning fork, the Vibratus App, and nerve conduction studies (NCS). Between group differences were analyzed to determine each measurement’s sensitivity to age. Spearman correlation coefficients depicted the associative strength between hand-held measurements and sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude. Inter-rater reliability of traditional instruments and the software-operated smartphone were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2, k ). Measurements taken with Vibratus App were significantly different between age groups (p < 0.001). The inter-rater reliability of monofilament, smartphone vibration, and tuning fork testing was moderate to good (ICC 2,k = 0.65, 0.69, and 0.79, respectively). The findings of this study support further investigation of smartphones as sensitivity monitoring devices for at home monitoring of skin sensitivity.