Association Between Sweating Response During a Sensory Discrimination Task and Tactile Sensitivity in Older Women

Psychological sweating in the palms occurs in response to mental activity. This sweating response (SR) may be observed during concentrated finger perception and may be associated with tactile sensitivity in older adults. This research was conducted as a cross-sectional observational study. We investigated the SR of the finger pad during a discrimination task (Braille reading) in 84 healthy older women. Furthermore, we evaluated the tactile threshold (TT) of the fingertip and examined its relationship with the characteristics of the SR—specifically, the maximum change in SR (SRMAX) and the latency to the maximum SR (SRLAT)—using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Notably, SR increased during Braille reading. Significant correlations were observed between TT and SRMAX (rs = −0.36, p < 0.01) and between TT and age (rs = 0.33, p < 0.01) but not between TT and SRLAT (rs = 0.18, p = 0.11). These results posit that tactile sensitivity declines with age in older women and maximum SR during a finger sensory discrimination task may be associated with finger sensory function in this population.