TY - JOUR
T1 - Delayed effects of attention on pain sensitivity and Conditioned Pain Modulation
AU - Hoegh, Morten
AU - Seminowicz, David A.
AU - Graven-Nielsen, Thomas
N1 - DNRF121
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - Background: Efficacy of pain modulation is assessed as the difference in pain sensitivity during a painful conditioning, compared to before (conditioning pain modulation, CPM). Attention can be assessed with the Stroop task, in which participants report the number of words on a screen; either congruent or incongruent with the value of the words. Attention away from painful stimuli during CPM enhances the CPM effect. However, it is unknown if attention influences CPM effects when the two are done in sequence. Methods: Healthy men (n = 25) underwent cuff algometry CPM-assessment where the pressure-pain detection and tolerance thresholds (PTT) were recorded on one leg with and without contralateral conditioning. Two identical sessions of four test stimuli equal to PTT (5 s, 1-min interval, scored on a visual analogue scale, VAS) with a painful conditioning from the second to the last test-stimulus were performed. Stroop sessions were followed by test stimuli with or without painful conditioning. Results: The VAS scores in the first two sessions showed excellent reliability (ICC = 0.92). VAS scores were lower in sessions with Stroop compared to sessions without Stroop (p =.05) indicating an analgesic effect of Stroop. Participants were subgrouped into CPM responders and CPM non-responders according to CPM effects in the first two sessions. CPM non-responders (n = 13) showed facilitation to repeated noxious stimuli in all sessions with no effect of conditioning or Stroop (p =.02). Conclusion: Attention and CPM both modulate pain in healthy men. Attention-induced analgesia works in CPM non-responders. Results indicate that attention and CPM are not the same and that they do not demonstrate additive effects when applied in sequence. Significance: Pain sensitivity is reduced after an attention task in healthy men. The delayed effects from attention only have minor effects on Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM), and results support that attention-driven analgesia works independently of CPM. Results indicate that individual strategies for pain inhibition exist and that an overlap between the mechanisms of CPM and selective attention is limited. Moreover, painful phasic stimuli may increase the number of healthy volunteers with negative CPM effects.
AB - Background: Efficacy of pain modulation is assessed as the difference in pain sensitivity during a painful conditioning, compared to before (conditioning pain modulation, CPM). Attention can be assessed with the Stroop task, in which participants report the number of words on a screen; either congruent or incongruent with the value of the words. Attention away from painful stimuli during CPM enhances the CPM effect. However, it is unknown if attention influences CPM effects when the two are done in sequence. Methods: Healthy men (n = 25) underwent cuff algometry CPM-assessment where the pressure-pain detection and tolerance thresholds (PTT) were recorded on one leg with and without contralateral conditioning. Two identical sessions of four test stimuli equal to PTT (5 s, 1-min interval, scored on a visual analogue scale, VAS) with a painful conditioning from the second to the last test-stimulus were performed. Stroop sessions were followed by test stimuli with or without painful conditioning. Results: The VAS scores in the first two sessions showed excellent reliability (ICC = 0.92). VAS scores were lower in sessions with Stroop compared to sessions without Stroop (p =.05) indicating an analgesic effect of Stroop. Participants were subgrouped into CPM responders and CPM non-responders according to CPM effects in the first two sessions. CPM non-responders (n = 13) showed facilitation to repeated noxious stimuli in all sessions with no effect of conditioning or Stroop (p =.02). Conclusion: Attention and CPM both modulate pain in healthy men. Attention-induced analgesia works in CPM non-responders. Results indicate that attention and CPM are not the same and that they do not demonstrate additive effects when applied in sequence. Significance: Pain sensitivity is reduced after an attention task in healthy men. The delayed effects from attention only have minor effects on Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM), and results support that attention-driven analgesia works independently of CPM. Results indicate that individual strategies for pain inhibition exist and that an overlap between the mechanisms of CPM and selective attention is limited. Moreover, painful phasic stimuli may increase the number of healthy volunteers with negative CPM effects.
KW - conditioned pain modulation
KW - diffuse noxious inhibitory controls
KW - endogenous pain modulation
KW - Stroop task
KW - attention
KW - cognitive analgesia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85070705677&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ejp.1458
DO - 10.1002/ejp.1458
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1090-3801
VL - 23
SP - 1850
EP - 1862
JO - European Journal of Pain
JF - European Journal of Pain
IS - 10
ER -