Understanding the Physiological Implications of Scanning Kelvin Probe Measurements

Suspended

• Conditions: Healthy Individuals; Skin Electrical Potential
• Interventions: Other: Skin Moistening, Skin Denuding

• Registration Number: NCT01545973
• Lead Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of skin thickness, skin moisture, and sweat gland density on Scanning Kelvin Probe measurements.

Detailed Description

The Scanning Kelvin Probe measures the electrical potential of material surfaces without actually touching it. Although this technology has been applied to non-living materials (e.g. metal and semiconductors) before, it has not been effectively applied to biological materials, much less to live human skin . This project aims to evaluate the use of Scanning Kelvin Probe to live human skin by investigating the effects of skin thickness, skin moisture, and sweat glands on Kelvin Probe measurements of electrical potential. Testing will be performed on the arms and hands of twenty four healthy individuals under different study conditions.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-08
• Status Verified: 2012-03
• Study First Submitted: 2012-03-02
• Study First Submitted QC: 2012-03-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2012-03-02
• Study First Posted: 2012-03-07
• Last Update Posted: 2012-03-07
• Primary Completion: 2012-08
• Study Completion: 2012-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: SUSPENDED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

• "Healthy" is defined as not having a chronic medical condition requiring daily medications (hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, etc)

Exclusion Criteria

• autonomic disorders (sweating irregularities), skin disorders, extensive burns/scars on the hand, tremors, neuromuscular conditions, restless leg syndrome, movement disorders, and implanted cardiac defibrillator/pacemaker

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Healthy Volunteers	Skin Moistening, Skin Denuding	Human subjects without chronic medical conditions, defined as conditions requiring chronic medication use.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Surface Electrical Potential	1 day	The electrical potential of skin obtained from the Scanning Kelvin Probe

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Electrical Impedance	One day	Electrical impedance (measurement) obtained through another, more conventional measurement device.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Massachusetts General Hospital - Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; 🇺🇸 Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States