Repeatability of autonomic responses to pain anticipation and pain stimulation

In this study we address the problem of the repeatability of autonomic responses in the experimental setting. In healthy volunteers, we measured the heart rate (HR) response to pain anticipation and to pain elicited with galvanic stimulation. After evaluation of pain threshold (T), all subjects unde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of pain 2006-10, Vol.10 (7), p.659-659
Main Authors: Colloca, Luana, Benedetti, Fabrizio, Pollo, Antonella
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anticipatory response
Anxiety - diagnosis
Anxiety - etiology
Anxiety - physiopathology
Autonomic Nervous System - physiology
Electrocardiography
Female
Galvanic Skin Response - physiology
Habituation, Psychophysiologic - physiology
Heart rate
Heart Rate - physiology
Humans
Male
Pain
Pain - diagnosis
Pain - physiopathology
Pain - psychology
Pain Measurement - methods
Pain Threshold - physiology
Physical Stimulation - adverse effects
Reproducibility of Results
Tachycardia - diagnosis
Tachycardia - etiology
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Summary:In this study we address the problem of the repeatability of autonomic responses in the experimental setting. In healthy volunteers, we measured the heart rate (HR) response to pain anticipation and to pain elicited with galvanic stimulation. After evaluation of pain threshold (T), all subjects underwent the same experimental protocol, whereby a painful stimulus at 1.5T was delivered on the forehead following a warning, while the ECG was continuously recorded. The procedure was repeated three times across a three-week period. The parameters recorded included pain threshold, pain rating, HR response to pain anticipation and HR response to pain. We found a high correlation among the three sessions for all parameters, indicating that, as occurs for pain threshold and pain rating, individual differences in autonomic responses can be reliably reproduced as well, even though significant habituation develops.
ISSN:1090-3801
1532-2149
DOI:10.1016/j.ejpain.2005.10.009