A Detailed Protocol for Perspiration Monitoring Using a Novel, Small, Wireless Device
November 24th, 2016
Recently, we developed a small wireless device for perspiration monitoring. In this article, we present detailed protocols on how to use the device for perspiration monitoring with an example of the sympathetic activity test.
The overall goal of this procedure is to monitor perspiration patterns with a newly developed wireless device. The main advantage of this technique is that both the amount and temporal pattern of perspiration can be monitored by just attaching the device to the skin. Since this is a new device, visual demonstration of this method is critical as the preparation and usage of the device are difficult to learn.
First, check the perspiration monitoring device to ensure that the battery has not been inserted. Then, plug the white connector of the USB serial port conversion interface to the receptacle at the at the top of the perspiration monitoring device. Next, execute the perspiration recording software.
Open the Settings tab and set the COM number to the ID number of the serial port. Click the Confirm Connection button and check if the message, Connected, appears. Within the Data File Folder settings, choose the drive and select the folder where the perspiration data will be saved.
Set the Number of Holes to four. Open the Measure and Rec tab and set the Time Interval to the desired sample time. Then, insert a battery into the perspiration monitoring device.
Fill the device with dry silica gel and close the lid. Finally, click the Start Logging Now button in the perspiration recording software. Begin by cleansing the skin at the recording location with an alcohol swab.
Use electrode paste to place the anode, cathode, and grounding electrode on the palm, back of the hand, and wrist respectively. Fix the electrodes with medical tape. On the instrumentation amplifier, turn the Sensitivity knob to one millivolt per volt, the Lo Cut filter to 0.5 hertz, and the Hi Cut filter to three kilohertz.
Finally, execute the sympathetic skin response, or SSR recording software, and click the Start Measurement button to begin the recording at the sample rate of 200 hertz. Begin by placing medical double sided tape on the bottom of the perspiration monitoring device without obstructing the four holes at the bottom of the device. Disconnect the perspiration monitoring device from the USB serial port conversation interface and immediately ensure that the perspiration monitoring begins automatically by checking if the LED lamp is blinking.
Next, remove the release liner of the medical double sided tape and put the perspiration monitoring device on the skin where perspiration is to be monitored. Wait 10 minutes for stabilization of water vapor diffusion, then start the sympathetic activity test. After the examination, remove the perspiration monitoring device from the skin.
Click the Stop Measurement button in the SSR recording software to stop the SSR recording and remove all electrodes from the skin. To perform the perspiration analysis, first connect the perspiration monitoring device to the USB serial port conversion interface. Then, open the perspiration monitoring software, click the Settings tab, and click the Confirm Connection button.
Then, open the Measure and Rec tab and click the Download button to save the raw data of the device in the specified folder. Finally, select the Analysis tab and click Read Data File. Observe the open file dialog popup.
Select the saved file and then click the Open button to allow the software to complete the analysis. As a result of the sympathetic activity test, palmar perspiration along with the SSR reaction was observed in response to the sympathetic activities, such as taking a deep inspiration or doing a mental calculation. Furthermore, a one hour recording of perspiration at the palm and the anterior chest showed distinct patterns according to different activities.
After watching this video you should have a good understanding of how to use this novel wireless device for measuring the perspiration.
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Overview
This article presents a new wireless device designed for monitoring perspiration patterns. The device allows for the assessment of both the amount and temporal pattern of perspiration by simply attaching it to the skin.
Key Study Components
Area of Science
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background
- Monitoring perspiration is important for understanding sympathetic activity.
- Traditional methods of perspiration measurement can be cumbersome.
- A wireless device simplifies the process.
- Visual demonstration is crucial for effective learning of the device's use.
Purpose of Study
- To introduce a new method for monitoring perspiration.
- To provide detailed protocols for using the device.
- To demonstrate the device's application in sympathetic activity testing.
Methods Used
- Check the device battery before use.
- Connect the USB serial port conversion interface to the device.
- Execute the perspiration recording software.
- Monitor perspiration patterns during the test.
Main Results
- The device successfully monitors perspiration patterns.
- Data on both amount and timing of perspiration is collected.
- Visual aids enhance understanding of device operation.
- Protocols are established for future research applications.
Conclusions
- The wireless device is a valuable tool for perspiration monitoring.
- It simplifies the measurement process compared to traditional methods.
- Further research can expand its applications in neuroscience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Industry Relevance
Monitoring perspiration patterns provides a non-invasive window into sympathetic nervous system activity, which is relevant for target validation in neuroscience and autonomic disorder research. The novel wireless device enables continuous, real-time measurement of transepidermal water loss and perspiration, supporting mechanistic de-risking in preclinical models where autonomic dysfunction is a phenotype. This capability aids in early discovery by linking physiological readouts to compound effects on sympathetic pathways.
Strategic Applications in Biopharma R&D
Early Discovery & Target Validation
- Scientific Value: Enables interrogation of sympathetic activity as a functional biomarker for target engagement in CNS and autonomic disorders.
- Operational Value: Provides quantitative, temporal perspiration data that supports hypothesis testing of drug effects on autonomic output.
Screening & Assay Development
- Scientific Value: Generates reproducible, baseline-corrected humidity measurements that distinguish perspiration from transepidermal water loss.
- Operational Value: Offers a wireless, easy-to-attach format suitable for high-throughput screening of compounds affecting sympathetic tone.
Translational & Preclinical Research
- Scientific Value: Supports disease-relevant system modeling by capturing sympathetic skin response-correlated perspiration patterns in preclinical species.
- Operational Value: Facilitates translational continuity from discovery to preclinical validation through standardized, wireless monitoring.
Pipeline & Workflow Integration
The device fits within the discovery continuum from early target validation to lead identification, particularly for compounds modulating autonomic or central nervous system targets.
- Discovery Biology: Supports hypothesis testing of sympathetic pathway modulation by providing real-time perspiration and SSR-correlated data.
- Screening: Enables assay readiness through wireless, reproducible data collection with defined time intervals and baseline subtraction.
- Analytics: Delivers quantitative dependent variable measurements (humidity change over time) that allow comparison across experimental conditions.
- Translational Research: Connects to preclinical continuity by enabling persistent monitoring of autonomic phenotypes relevant to translational biomarkers.
- Enterprise Reuse: Represents a reusable platform for longitudinal monitoring across multiple study phases and model systems.
Operational & Enterprise Impact
- Scientific Value: Predictive confidence in target validation through direct measurement of sympathetic effector output.
- Operational Value: Standardization and reproducibility via wireless, battery-driven data logging with desiccant-based humidity stabilization.
- Strategic Value: Improved go/no-go decisions by reducing mechanistic ambiguity in autonomic drug effects.
- Portfolio Impact: Risk-adjusted prioritization of compounds based on objective, temporal perspiration profiles.
Implementation Considerations
- Requires expertise in electrophysiology and sympathetic skin response testing for proper electrode placement and SSR recording.
- Needs USB serial port interface, data logger, and analysis software for device operation and perspiration data extraction.
- Demands cross-team standardization of skin preparation, electrode fixation, and stabilization wait times for reliable diffusion-based measurements.
- Involves adaptation considerations for different skin sites (e.g., palm, chest) and ensuring unobstructed sensor holes during attachment.
- Includes practical limitations such as the need for dry silica gel desiccant and manual baseline subtraction to isolate perspiration signals.
