Physiological mechanisms of temperature biofeedback

Research on the physiological mechanisms of finger temperature biofeedback with normal subjects and Raynaud's disease patients is reviewed. Studies conducted in the author's laboratory have shown that feedback-induced vasodilation is mediated through a non-neural, -adrenergic mechanism rather than through reductions in sympathetic nervous system activation. In contrast, feedback-induced vasoconstriction is mediated through the traditional, sympathetic nervous pathway. When used with primary Raynaud's disease patients, feedback-induced vasodilation has achieved reductions in reported symptom frequency ranging from 66% to 92% in controlled investigations. Future research directions are discussed.Research conducted by the author was supported by research grants Nos. HL-23828, HL-30604, and AG-05233 from NIH. I am grateful for the collaboration of the following colleagues during the 14 years of work reported here: Peter Ianni, Dena Norton, Paul Wenig, Subhash Sabharwal, Maureen Mayes, Nagraj Desai, Michael Morris, Peter Migály, and Stewart Vining.