Concurrent validity of supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons and infrared thermography as a surrogate marker of brown adipose tissue. (May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martinez-Tellez, Borja; Perez-Bey, Alejandro; Sanchez-Delgado, Guillermo; Acosta, Francisco M.; Corral-Perez, Juan; Amaro-Gahete, Francisco J.; Alcantara, Juan M.A.; Castro-Piñero, Jose; Jimenez-Pavon, David; Llamas-Elvira, Jose M.; Ruiz, Jonatan R.
• Is Part Of: Journal of thermal biology. Volume 82(2019)
• Page Start: 186
• Page End: 196
• Publication Date: 2019-05
• Subjects: brown fat -- Skin temperature -- Thermoregulation; Thermobiology -- Periodicals; Temperature -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Thermobiologie -- Périodiques; Thermobiology; Periodicals; 571.46
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.04.009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4565

Abstract

Abstract: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenic activity is commonly assessed with a positron emission tomography with computed tomography scan (PET/CT). This technique has several limitations and alternative techniques are needed. Supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons and infrared thermography (IRT) has been proposed as an indirect marker of BAT activity. We studied the concurrent validity of skin temperature measured with iButtons vs. IRT and the association of supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons and IRT with BAT. We measured skin temperature upon a shivering threshold test with iButtons and IRT in 6 different regions in 12 participants (n = 2 men). On a separate day, we determined supraclavicular skin temperature with an iButton and IRT after 2 h of a personalized cooling protocol. Thereafter, we quantified BAT volume and activity by PET/CT. We observed that the absolute differences between the devices were statistically different from 0 (all P < 0.05) after the shivering threshold test. Moreover, we did not find any association between supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons or IRT and BAT 18 F-FDG activity (r = −0.213; P = 0.530 and r = −0.079; P = 0.817). However, we observed a negative association of supraclavicular skin temperature measured by IRT with BAT 18 F-FDG volume (r = −0.764; P = 0.006), but not with supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons (r = −0.546; P = 0.082). In light of these results, we concluded that the measurement of skin temperature obtained by iButtons and IRT are not comparable. Furthermore, it seems that supraclavicular skin temperature is not associated with BAT 18 F-FDG activity, but it appears to be negatively associated with BAT 18 F-FDG volume in the case of IRT. Highlights: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a thermogenic tissue which is present and difficult to quantify in humans. Supraclavicular skin temperature is not representing only BAT activity. Several authors have postulated that supraclavicular skin temperature could be used to measure indirectly BAT. Nevertheless, the results of the present study does not support this idea. Supraclavicular skin temperature should be interpreted as the result of several thermogenic tissues.