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Time dependant differences in pain sensitivity during unilateral ischemic pain provocation in healthy volunteers
Author(s) -
Tuveson Birgitta,
Leffler AnnSofie,
Hansson Per
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
european journal of pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.305
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1532-2149
pISSN - 1090-3801
DOI - 10.1016/j.ejpain.2005.03.010
Subject(s) - diffuse noxious inhibitory control , forearm , threshold of pain , nociception , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , medicine , anesthesia , provocation test , stimulation , noxious stimulus , cold pressor test , nociceptor , blood pressure , surgery , pathology , heart rate , receptor , alternative medicine
Plurisegmental endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms related to diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) were demonstrated in animal experiments to act on multireceptive neurons of the entire cord outside the conditioned segment without any side differences. Human experiments have demonstrated altered pain sensitivity to pressure, heat and electrical stimulation during heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulation (HNCS). The purpose of the study was to examine if side and/or time differences in pain thresholds and suprathreshold pain sensitivity for pressure and heat, respectively, could be detected during HNCS. Perception thresholds to pressure and heat pain as well as the sensitivity to suprathreshold pressure (SPP) and heat pain (SHP) were assessed in 18 healthy volunteers bilaterally at the thighs before, during and following ischemia‐induced pain of the left forearm (HNCS). The assessments started with either the right (10 subjects) or the left thigh (8 subjects). During HNCS the pressure pain threshold increased significantly ( p < 0.001) on both sides alike. No significant difference in the magnitude of the altered pressure pain threshold was seen between sides for the first or the lastly assessed side. On the lastly assessed side only SPP and SHP increased significantly on both sides alike ( p < 0.02 and p < 0.03, respectively), without magnitude differences between sides. During unilateral HNCS of the left arm, a time factor was demonstrated only for alterations in suprathreshold pain sensitivity, without any differences in magnitude between sides. Therefore, the results have implications for future design of HNCS‐related experimental and clinical studies.