Open AccessDecreased Initial Peak Pain Sensation with Aging: A Psychophysical Study
Author(s) -
Inès Daguet,
Kayla Bergeron-Vézina,
Marie-Philippe Harvey,
Marylie Martel,
Alexia Coulombe-Lévêque,
Guillaume Léonard
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of pain research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 49
ISSN - 1178-7090
DOI - 10.2147/jpr.s257791
Subject(s) - sensation , medicine , nociception , quantitative sensory testing , stimulus (psychology) , visual analogue scale , forearm , stimulation , threshold of pain , audiology , pain sensation , young adult , physical medicine and rehabilitation , anesthesia , sensory system , physical therapy , psychology , surgery , neuroscience , receptor , psychotherapist
Aging is associated with an impairment of diverse physiological functions, including nociception. For example, older adults in comparison to young adults, show an overall increase in pain thresholds, reflecting a decline in pain sensitivity and changes in the nociceptive pathways. These results are, however, debated as they were not always replicated depending on the stimulus modality, duration, and location. The aim of the current study was to determine how the temporal evolution of pain intensity during a continuous tonic heat pain test is influenced by aging. More specifically, we wanted to 1) assess the effect of age on initial peak and late-phase pain and 2) determine whether potential age effects depend on the stimulation site.