Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation
Abstract Background Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) evaluates the effect of a painful conditioning stimulus (CS) on a painful test stimulus (TS). Using painful cutaneous electrical stimulation (PCES) as TS and painful cold water as CS, the pain relief was paralleled by a decrease in evoked potenti...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2020-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-020-00604-1 |
| _version_ | 1818352934473170944 |
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| author | A. T. L. Do E. K. Enax-Krumova Ö. Özgül L. B. Eitner S. Heba M. Tegenthoff C. Maier O. Höffken |
| author_facet | A. T. L. Do E. K. Enax-Krumova Ö. Özgül L. B. Eitner S. Heba M. Tegenthoff C. Maier O. Höffken |
| author_sort | A. T. L. Do |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) evaluates the effect of a painful conditioning stimulus (CS) on a painful test stimulus (TS). Using painful cutaneous electrical stimulation (PCES) as TS and painful cold water as CS, the pain relief was paralleled by a decrease in evoked potentials (PCES-EPs). We now aimed to compare the effect of CPM with cognitive distraction on PCES-induced pain and PCES-EP amplitudes. Methods PCES was performed using surface electrodes inducing a painful sensation of 60 (NRS 0–100) on one hand. In a crossover design healthy subjects (included: n = 38, analyzed: n = 23) immersed the contralateral hand into 10 °C cold water (CS) for CPM evaluation and performed the 1-back task for cognitive distraction. Before and during the CS and 1-back task, respectively, subjects rated the pain intensity of PCES and simultaneously cortical evoked potentials were recorded. Results Both CPM and cognitive distraction significantly reduced PCES-EP amplitudes (CPM: 27.6 ± 12.0 μV to 20.2 ± 9.5 μV, cognitive distraction: 30.3 ± 14.2 µV to 13.6 ± 5.2 μV, p < 0.001) and PCES-induced pain (on a 0–100 numerical rating scale: CPM: 58 ± 4 to 41.1 ± 12.3, cognitive distraction: 58.3 ± 4.4 to 38.0 ± 13.0, p < 0.001), though the changes in pain intensity and PCES-amplitude did not correlate. The changes of the PCES-EP amplitudes during cognitive distraction were more pronounced than during CPM (p = 0.001). Conclusions CPM and cognitive distraction reduced the PCES-induced pain to a similar extent. The more pronounced decrease of PCES-EP amplitudes after distraction by a cognitive task implies that both conditions might not represent the general pain modulatory capacity of individuals, but may underlie different neuronal mechanisms with the final common pathway of perceived pain reduction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T19:01:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e4c7023ede9540cbab89527d939b0b58 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2202 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T19:01:31Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-e4c7023ede9540cbab89527d939b0b582022-12-21T23:34:41ZengBMCBMC Neuroscience1471-22022020-12-0121111010.1186/s12868-020-00604-1Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulationA. T. L. Do0E. K. Enax-Krumova1Ö. Özgül2L. B. Eitner3S. Heba4M. TegenthoffC. Maier5O. Höffken6Department of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil gGmbHDepartment of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil gGmbHDepartment of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil gGmbHDepartment of Pain Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil gGmbHDepartment of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil gGmbHDepartment of Pain Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil gGmbHDepartment of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil gGmbHAbstract Background Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) evaluates the effect of a painful conditioning stimulus (CS) on a painful test stimulus (TS). Using painful cutaneous electrical stimulation (PCES) as TS and painful cold water as CS, the pain relief was paralleled by a decrease in evoked potentials (PCES-EPs). We now aimed to compare the effect of CPM with cognitive distraction on PCES-induced pain and PCES-EP amplitudes. Methods PCES was performed using surface electrodes inducing a painful sensation of 60 (NRS 0–100) on one hand. In a crossover design healthy subjects (included: n = 38, analyzed: n = 23) immersed the contralateral hand into 10 °C cold water (CS) for CPM evaluation and performed the 1-back task for cognitive distraction. Before and during the CS and 1-back task, respectively, subjects rated the pain intensity of PCES and simultaneously cortical evoked potentials were recorded. Results Both CPM and cognitive distraction significantly reduced PCES-EP amplitudes (CPM: 27.6 ± 12.0 μV to 20.2 ± 9.5 μV, cognitive distraction: 30.3 ± 14.2 µV to 13.6 ± 5.2 μV, p < 0.001) and PCES-induced pain (on a 0–100 numerical rating scale: CPM: 58 ± 4 to 41.1 ± 12.3, cognitive distraction: 58.3 ± 4.4 to 38.0 ± 13.0, p < 0.001), though the changes in pain intensity and PCES-amplitude did not correlate. The changes of the PCES-EP amplitudes during cognitive distraction were more pronounced than during CPM (p = 0.001). Conclusions CPM and cognitive distraction reduced the PCES-induced pain to a similar extent. The more pronounced decrease of PCES-EP amplitudes after distraction by a cognitive task implies that both conditions might not represent the general pain modulatory capacity of individuals, but may underlie different neuronal mechanisms with the final common pathway of perceived pain reduction.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-020-00604-1Painful cutaneous electrical stimulationConditioned pain modulationCognitive distractionPain mechanisms |
| spellingShingle | A. T. L. Do E. K. Enax-Krumova Ö. Özgül L. B. Eitner S. Heba M. Tegenthoff C. Maier O. Höffken Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation BMC Neuroscience Painful cutaneous electrical stimulation Conditioned pain modulation Cognitive distraction Pain mechanisms |
| title | Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation |
| title_full | Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation |
| title_fullStr | Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation |
| title_short | Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation |
| title_sort | distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation |
| topic | Painful cutaneous electrical stimulation Conditioned pain modulation Cognitive distraction Pain mechanisms |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-020-00604-1 |
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