Vascular and neurological mechanisms are both likely to be involved in foot ulcer. We recently reported on the hand an original transient pressure-induced vasodilation (PIV) during a 5 mmHg/min increase of pressure strain using laser Doppler flowmetry. This physiological response to non noxious external local pressure strain is a widely protective cutaneous mechanism. The impairment of PIV in diabetic subjects may be relevant to the high prevalence of foot ulcer that occurs in these individuals. The aim of the project is to analyse the different physiopathological processes involved in PIV impairment in diabetic subjects as compared to matched controls.