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The Journal of Pain 2020Many studies have demonstrated a link between experiences of physical pain and those of social rejection, both of which can trigger cognitive processes involved in...
Many studies have demonstrated a link between experiences of physical pain and those of social rejection, both of which can trigger cognitive processes involved in detecting, orienting toward, or reacting to potentially threatening events. This study tested the hypothesis that healthy individuals who are more sensitive to physical pain are also more sensitive to social rejection. We recruited participants with high or low pain-sensitivity (HPS and LPS), as assessed by scores on a pain-sensitivity questionnaire and confirmed by experimental pain-sensitivity assessment. A modified social-judgment task was adopted in which participants first provided expectations about being liked/disliked by "peers", and then received "peers" feedback indicating acceptance or rejection. While both groups rated rejection as more unpleasant than acceptance, this difference was greater in the HPS group. Electroencephalographic results showed that only participants in the HPS group exhibited greater early delta/theta-oscillations (δ/θ-oscillations) in response to rejection than to acceptance, regardless of whether the feedback was expected or unexpected. However, both groups consistently exhibited greater late δ/θ-oscillations in response to rejection when the feedback was unexpected. These results suggest that participants in the HPS group were more sensitive to social cues signaling acceptance or rejection at early stages of information processing. Furthermore, neither early nor late δ/θ-oscillations following nonsocial feedback (correct or incorrect time-estimation) differed between groups. Altogether, these results supported the idea of shared sensitivity in detecting potentially physical and social threats in the environment. PERSPECTIVES: This study showed the greater emotional reactions and early-latency δ/θ-oscillations in response to social evaluation among healthy individuals with high pain sensitivity. It supports the idea of shared sensitivity to physical pain and social evaluation, which could be governed by a common system for detecting and monitoring potentially environmental threats.
Topics: Adult; Brain Waves; Emotions; Evoked Potentials; Fear; Humans; Judgment; Pain Threshold; Psychological Distance; Social Perception
PubMed: 31683022
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2019.10.007 -
The Journal of Pain Sep 2022Quantitative sensory testing (QST) allows researchers to evaluate associations between noxious stimuli and acute pain in clinical populations and healthy participants....
Quantitative sensory testing (QST) allows researchers to evaluate associations between noxious stimuli and acute pain in clinical populations and healthy participants. Despite its widespread use, our understanding of QST's reliability is limited, as reliability studies have used small samples and restricted time windows. We examined the reliability of pain ratings in response to noxious thermal stimulation in 171 healthy volunteers (n = 99 female, n = 72 male) who completed QST on multiple visits ranging from 1 day to 952 days between visits. On each visit, participants underwent an adaptive pain calibration in which they experienced 24 heat trials and rated pain intensity after stimulus offset on a 0 to 10 Visual Analog Scale. We used linear regression to determine pain threshold, pain tolerance, and the correlation between temperature and pain for each session and examined the reliability of these measures. Threshold and tolerance were moderately reliable (Intra-class correlation = .66 and .67, respectively; P < .001), whereas temperature-pain correlations had low reliability (Intra-class correlation = .23). In addition, pain tolerance was significantly more reliable in female participants than male participants, and we observed similar trends for other pain sensitive measures. Our findings indicate that threshold and tolerance are largely consistent across visits, whereas sensitivity to changes in temperature vary over time and may be influenced by contextual factors. PERSPECTIVE: This article assesses the reliability of an adaptive thermal pain calibration procedure. We find that pain threshold and tolerance are moderately reliable whereas the correlation between pain rating and stimulus temperature has low reliability. Female participants were more reliable than male participants on all pain sensitivity measures.
Topics: Calibration; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Hot Temperature; Humans; Male; Pain; Pain Threshold; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 35189353
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.01.011 -
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Apr 2020To investigate the development of pain intensity and pressure pain thresholds during and 24 h after a light dynamic physical load among patients with chronic...
BACKGROUND
To investigate the development of pain intensity and pressure pain thresholds during and 24 h after a light dynamic physical load among patients with chronic neck-shoulder pain.
METHODS
Twenty-six patients with chronic neck-shoulder pain and 12 healthy controls were included. The participants arm-cycled on an ergometer. Effort was rated with the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE), and pain intensity with an numeric rating scale (NRS). Pressure pain thresholds were measured by an algometer. Participants started a pain diary 1 week before the physical exercise and continued until 1 week after. Pain intensity was assessed before, during and the following two evenings after arm-cycling. Pressure pain thresholds were assessed before, 15 min after, 105 min after and 24 h after.
RESULTS
The chronic pain group showed increased pain intensity during, and the following two evenings after the arm cycling, and decreased pain thresholds immediately after the arm cycling involving painful regions. In the patient group there were no impact on pain thresholds in the neck the following day.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with chronic neck-shoulder pain reported increased pain intensity during and in the evenings after a light dynamic load involving painful regions. In addition, they showed decreased pain thresholds close to the exercise, indicating mechanical hyperalgesia.
Topics: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Chronic Pain; Exercise Therapy; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neck; Neck Pain; Pain Measurement; Pain Threshold; Regression Analysis; Shoulder; Shoulder Pain; Young Adult
PubMed: 32326925
DOI: 10.1186/s12891-020-03298-y -
The Journal of Medical Investigation :... 2023Pain at the injection site is the most frequent reaction among COVID-19 vaccine recipients, but its characteristics were not fully described yet. The purpose of this...
Pain at the injection site is the most frequent reaction among COVID-19 vaccine recipients, but its characteristics were not fully described yet. The purpose of this study was to investigate multiple domains of pain following BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination. We included 107 subjects undergoing primary shot of the vaccination twice into deltoid muscle with a 3-week interval. They completed 6 sessions of pain assessments, one before the first and second dose (1-0, 2-0), and 1st/7th day after the first and second dose (1-1/1-7, 2-1/2-7). Pain visual analog scale (VAS), pain distribution, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) on deltoid muscle were evaluated in each session. The mean VAS (at rest/shoulder motion) was 6.0/27.6 mm at 1-1, and 12.8/34.0 mm at 2-1. Approximately, 90% of recipients showed localized pain within the upper arm. Percentage change of PPTs at 1-1 and 2-1 was bilaterally (ipsilateral/contralateral) decreased to 87.4/89.4% and 80.6/91.0%, which was recovered to the baseline level at 1-7 and 2-7. Temporary, mild-to-moderate intensity, localized distribution, concomitant with bilateral mechanical hyperalgesia on the deltoid muscle, were typical pain characteristics following this vaccination. These findings provide a rationale that will be informative for future recipients. J. Med. Invest. 70 : 355-360, August, 2023.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19 Vaccines; BNT162 Vaccine; COVID-19; Pain; Pain Threshold; Vaccination
PubMed: 37940519
DOI: 10.2152/jmi.70.355 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2020The aim of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of quantitative sensory testing (QST) and mechanical sensitivity mapping of the periauricular skin....
The aim of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of quantitative sensory testing (QST) and mechanical sensitivity mapping of the periauricular skin. Twenty volunteers (10 men, 10 women) participated in two sessions at intervals of one week. Cold and warm detection threshold (CDT&WDT), cold and heat pain threshold (CPT&HPT), mechanical detection and pain threshold (MDT&MPT), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and two-point discrimination (2PD) were measured at five sites: bilateral subauricular and postauricular sites (LA, RA, LB, RB) and the dorsum of left hand (control). Pressure stimulation was applied at each of the four periauricular test sites. The test-retest reliability of the QST data implied fair to excellent agreement as evaluated by the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC; all >0.4) for different days. There was no difference between each side in the QST parameters and mechanical sensitivity mapping (P ≥ 0.057). Significant differences between subauricular and postauricular sites were shown for WDT and PPT (P ≤ 0.028). NRS scores of mechanical sensitivity mapping showed significant effects of gender, site and point (P ≤ 0.040). QST and mechanical sensitivity mapping can be considered to be a reliable technique to assess somatosensory function of the periauricular skin.
Topics: Adult; Biomechanical Phenomena; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Male; Pain Threshold; Pressure; Skin; Skin Physiological Phenomena; Skin Temperature; Young Adult
PubMed: 32111937
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60724-w -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2022Differences in pain perception in athletes have recently been highlighted in the literature.
BACKGROUND
Differences in pain perception in athletes have recently been highlighted in the literature.
OBJECTIVES
To compare gender ratings of perceived pain in athletes with low and high agonistic experiences (N = 200) using the Cold Pressor Test (CPT).
METHODS
A three-way repeated measures ANOVA to assess both the effects of the athletes' gender and lower vs. higher agonistic experiences in the intensity of perceived pain at the beginning of the cold box hand immersion (L) and after a 90 s interval (L).
RESULTS
There was a statistically significant interaction effect between the level of the agonistic experience and gender in the two moments: < 0.001; η = 0.266; F(1,49) = 9.771. Simple main effects analysis showed a significative difference for females at L: F(1,99) = 93.567, < 0.025, partial η = 0.302) and for males at L: F(1,99) = 173.420, < 0.025, partial η = 0.666. At the initial moment of CPT, the female athletes showed significantly higher perceived intensity than males, regardless of their experience level. After a 90 s interval, a significantly lower pain perception effect associated with the increased competitive experience of male athletes was observed. Female athletes did not appear to benefit from the experience effect on their pain tolerance.
CONCLUSIONS
The study confirmed a significant difference in pain perception associated with the athletes' gender and agonistic experience. Separate explanations related to the pattern of pain inhibition and the acquired reduction in pain sensitivity are reported.
Topics: Athletes; Cold Temperature; Female; Humans; Male; Pain; Pain Measurement; Pain Perception; Pain Threshold
PubMed: 35206523
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042336 -
PloS One 2014The effect of acupuncture on sensory perception has never been systematically reviewed; although, studies on acupuncture mechanisms are frequently based on the idea that... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
The effect of acupuncture on sensory perception has never been systematically reviewed; although, studies on acupuncture mechanisms are frequently based on the idea that changes in sensory thresholds reflect its effect on the nervous system.
METHODS
Pubmed, EMBASE and Scopus were screened for studies investigating the effect of acupuncture on thermal or mechanical detection or pain thresholds in humans published in English or German. A meta-analysis of high quality studies was performed.
RESULTS
Out of 3007 identified articles 85 were included. Sixty five studies showed that acupuncture affects at least one sensory threshold. Most studies assessed the pressure pain threshold of which 80% reported an increase after acupuncture. Significant short- and long-term effects on the pressure pain threshold in pain patients were revealed by two meta-analyses including four and two high quality studies, respectively. In over 60% of studies, acupuncture reduced sensitivity to noxious thermal stimuli, but measuring methods might influence results. Few but consistent data indicate that acupuncture reduces pin-prick like pain but not mechanical detection. Results on thermal detection are heterogeneous. Sensory threshold changes were equally frequent reported after manual acupuncture as after electroacupuncture. Among 48 sham-controlled studies, 25 showed stronger effects on sensory thresholds through verum than through sham acupuncture, but in 9 studies significant threshold changes were also observed after sham acupuncture. Overall, there is a lack of high quality acupuncture studies applying comprehensive assessments of sensory perception.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that acupuncture affects sensory perception. Results are most compelling for the pressure pain threshold, especially in pain conditions associated with tenderness. Sham acupuncture can also cause such effects. Future studies should incorporate comprehensive, standardized assessments of sensory profiles in order to fully characterize its effect on sensory perception and to explore the predictive value of sensory profiles for the effectiveness of acupuncture.
Topics: Acupuncture Therapy; Databases, Bibliographic; Humans; Pain Threshold
PubMed: 25502787
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113731 -
Scientific Reports Jul 2018Numerous studies have shown that pain sensation is affected by various immune molecules, such as cytokines, in tissues comprising the sensory pathway. Specifically, it...
Numerous studies have shown that pain sensation is affected by various immune molecules, such as cytokines, in tissues comprising the sensory pathway. Specifically, it has been shown that interleukin (IL)-17 promotes pain behaviour, but IL-10 suppresses it. IL-27 has been reported to have an anti-inflammatory effect through regulation of T cell differentiation, resulting in reduced IL-17 and induction of IL-10. Thus, we hypothesised that IL-27 would have some regulatory role in pain sensation. Here, we provide evidence that endogenous IL-27 constitutively controls thresholds for thermal and mechanical sensation in physiological and pathological conditions. Mice lacking IL-27 or its receptor WSX-1 spontaneously showed chronic pain-like hypersensitivity. Reconstitution of IL-27 in IL-27-deficient mice reversed thermal and mechanical hypersensitive behaviours. Thus, unlike many other cytokines induced by inflammatory events, IL-27 appears to be constitutively produced and to control pain sensation. Furthermore, mice lacking IL-27/WSX-1 signalling showed additional hypersensitivity when subjected to inflammatory or neuropathic pain models. Our results suggest that the mechanisms underlying hypersensitive behaviours caused by the ablation of IL-27/WSX-1 signalling are different from those underlying established chronic pain models. This novel pain control mechanism mediated by IL-27 might indicate a new mechanism for the chronic pain hypersensitivity.
Topics: Adolescent; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Capsaicin; Child; Electrophysiology; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Interleukin-27; Male; Minor Histocompatibility Antigens; Nociceptive Pain; Nociceptors; Pain Threshold; Receptors, Cytokine; Receptors, Interleukin
PubMed: 30038376
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29398-3 -
Scientific Reports May 2023Recent research on transcutaneous electrical stimulation has shown that inhibiting nerve conduction with a kilohertz frequency is both effective and safe. This study...
Recent research on transcutaneous electrical stimulation has shown that inhibiting nerve conduction with a kilohertz frequency is both effective and safe. This study primarily aims to demonstrate the hypoalgesic effect on the tibial nerve using transcutaneous interferential-current nerve inhibition (TINI), which injects the kilohertz frequency produced by the interferential currents. Additionally, the secondary objective was to compare the analgesic effect and comfort of TINI and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Thirty-one healthy adults participated in this cross-over repeated measures study. The washout period was set to 24 h or more. Stimulus intensity was set just below the pain threshold level. TINI and TENS were applied for 20 min each. The ankle passive dorsiflexion range of motion, pressure pain threshold (PPT), and tactile threshold were measured at the baseline, pre-test, test (immediately before ceasing intervention), and post-test (30 min after ceasing intervention) sessions. After the interventions, the participants evaluated the level of discomfort for TINI and TENS on a 10 cm visual analog scale (VAS). As the results, PPT significantly increased compared to baseline in test and posttest sessions of TINI, but not in those of TENS. Also, participants reported that TENS was 36% more discomfort than TINI. The hypoalgesic effect was not significantly different between TINI and TENS. In conclusion, we found that TINI inhibited mechanical pain sensitivity and that the inhibitory effect persisted long after electrical stimulation ceased. Our study also shows that TINI provides the hypoalgesic effect more comfortably than TENS.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; Pain Threshold; Pain; Pain Management; Pain Measurement
PubMed: 37244893
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35489-7 -
Pain May 2023Sleep loss heightens pain sensitivity, but the pathways underlying this association are not known. Given that experimental sleep disruption induces increases in cellular... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Sleep loss heightens pain sensitivity, but the pathways underlying this association are not known. Given that experimental sleep disruption induces increases in cellular inflammation as well as selective loss of slow wave, N3 sleep, this study examined whether these mechanisms contribute to pain sensitivity following sleep loss in healthy adults. This assessor-blinded, cross-over sleep condition, single-site, randomized clinical trial enrolled 95 healthy adults (mean [SD] age, 27.8 [6.4]; female, 44 [53.7%]). The 2 sleep conditions were 2 nights of undisturbed sleep (US) and 2 nights of sleep disruption or forced awakening (FA, 8 pseudorandomly distributed awakenings and 200 minutes wake time during the 8-hour sleep opportunity), administered in a cross-over design after 2 weeks of washout and in a random order (FA-US; US-FA). Primary outcome was heat pain threshold (hPTH). Sleep architecture was assessed by polysomnography, and morning levels of cellular inflammation were evaluated by Toll-like receptor-4 stimulated monocyte intracellular proinflammatory cytokine production. As compared with US, FA was associated with decreases in the amount of slow wave or N3 sleep ( P < 0.001), increases in Toll-like receptor-4 stimulated production of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α ( P = 0.03), and decreases in hPTH ( P = 0.02). A comprehensive causal mediation analysis found that FA had an indirect effect on hPTH by decreases in N3 sleep and subsequent increases in inflammation (estimate=-0.15; 95% confidence interval, -0.30 to -0.03; P < 0.05) with the proportion mediated 34.9%. Differential loss of slow wave, N3 sleep, and increases in cellular inflammation are important drivers of pain sensitivity after sleep disruption.Clinical Trials Registration: NCT01794689.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Female; Pain Threshold; Sleep Deprivation; Sleep; Pain; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Inflammation; Toll-Like Receptors
PubMed: 36314570
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002811