Exploration of the conditioning electrical stimulation frequencies for induction of long-term potentiation-like pain amplification in humans

Spinal nociceptive long-term potentiation (LTP) can be induced by high- or low-frequency conditioning electrical stimulation (CES) in rodent preparations in vitro. However, there is still sparse information on the effect of different conditioning frequencies inducing LTP-like pain amplification in humans. In this study, we tested two other paradigms aiming to explore the CES frequency effect inducing pain amplification in healthy humans. Cutaneous LTP-like pain amplification induced by three different paradigms (10, 100, and 200 Hz CES) was assessed in fifteen volunteers in a crossover design. Perceptual intensity ratings to single electrical stimulation at the conditioned site and to mechanical stimuli (pinprick and light stroking) in the immediate vicinity were recorded; superficial blood flow was also measured. The short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) was used for characterizing the perception induced by CES. Compared with the control session, pain perception to pinprick stimuli and area of allodynia significantly increased after all three CES paradigms. In the 10 and 200 Hz sessions, the superficial blood flow 10 min after CES was significantly higher than in the control session reaching a plateau after 20 and 10 min, respectively; for the 100 Hz paradigm, a stable level was found without significant differences compared with CES and control sessions. 10 Hz CES caused a lower SF-MPQ score than 100 Hz. High-frequency (200 Hz) and low-frequency (10 Hz) paradigms can induce heterotopic pain amplification similar to the traditional 100 Hz paradigm. The 10 Hz paradigm can be an appealing alternative paradigm in future studies due to its specific association with low-level discharging of C-fibers during inflammation.