Thermal sensitivity in humans at the depth of thermal receptor endings beneath the skin: validation of a heat transfer model of the skin using high-temporal resolution stimuli

The bioheat transfer equation predicts temperature distribution in living tissues such as the skin. This study aimed at psychophysically validating this model in humans. Three experiments were performed. In the first, participants were asked to judge the thermal intensity of stimuli with combinations of intensity and duration that yielded, according to the model, identical temperatures at the thermoreceptor’s depth. In experiment 2,...