Characterizing individual differences in heat-pain sensitivity

AbstractObjectivesThe underlying mechanisms for individual differences in experimental pain are not fully understood, but genetic susceptibility is hypothesized to explain some of these differences. In the present study we focus on three genetic variants important for modulating experimental pain related to serotonin (SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 A>G), catecholamine (COMT rs4680 Val158Met) and opioid (OPRM1 rs1799971 A118G) signaling. We aimed to investigate associations between each of the selected genetic variants and individual differences in experimental pain.MethodsIn total 356 subjects (232 low back pain patients and 124 healthy volunteers) were genotyped and assessed with tests of heat pain threshold, pressure pain thresholds, heat pain tolerance, conditioned pain modulation (CPM), offset analgesia, temporal summation and secondary hyperalgesia. Low back pain patients and healthy volunteers did not differ in regards to experimental test results or allelic frequencies, and were therefore analyzed as one group. The associations were tested using analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis test.ResultsNo significant associations were observed between the genetic variants (SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 A>G, COMT rs4680 Val158Met and OPRM1 rs1799971 A118G) and individual differences in experimental pain (heat pain threshold, pressure pain threshold, heat pain tolerance, CPM, offset analgesia, temporal summation and secondary hyperalgesia).ConclusionsThe selected pain-associated genetic variants were not associated with individual differences in experimental pain. Genetic variants well known for playing central roles in pain perception failed to explain individual differences in experimental pain in 356 subjects. The finding is an important contribution to the literature, which often consists of studies with lower sample size and one or few experimental pain assessments.

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Pain measurement by the radiant heat method: individual differences in pain sensitivity, the effects of skin temperature, and stimulus duration.

Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1037/h0057807 ◽

1951 ◽

Vol 41 (6) ◽

pp. 419-424 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

James E. Birren ◽

Roland C. Casperson ◽

Jack Botwinick

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Skin Temperature ◽

Stimulus Duration ◽

Pain Measurement ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Radiant Heat ◽

Heat Method

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Body Site Variation of Heat Pain Sensitivity

Somatosensory & Motor Research ◽

10.3109/08990229309028850 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 455-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Dorothy J. Taylor ◽

Sandra L. B. McGillis ◽

Joel D. Greenspan

Keyword(s):

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Body Site ◽

Site Variation

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Individual differences in pain sensitivity: Genetic and environmental contributions

Pain ◽

10.1016/j.pain.2007.06.008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 136 (1) ◽

pp. 21-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 175

Author(s):

Christopher S. Nielsen ◽

Audun Stubhaug ◽

Donald D. Price ◽

Olav Vassend ◽

Nikolai Czajkowski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Pain Sensitivity

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Pain thresholds and suprathreshold pain after sleep restriction in migraine – A blinded crossover study

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1177/03331024211056565 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 033310242110565

Author(s):

Jan Petter Neverdahl ◽

Martin Uglem ◽

Dagfinn Matre ◽

Johannes Orvin Hansen ◽

Morten Engstrøm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crossover Study ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Sleep Restriction ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Pain Thresholds ◽

Pressure Pain ◽

Disturbed Sleep ◽

Pressure Pain Thresholds ◽

Lower Pain

Objective There is an unexplained association between disturbed sleep and migraine. In this blinded crossover study, we investigate if experimental sleep restriction has a different effect on pain thresholds and suprathreshold pain in interictal migraineurs and controls. Methods Forearm heat pain thresholds and tolerance thresholds, and trapezius pressure pain thresholds and suprathreshold pain were measured in 39 interictal migraineurs and 31 healthy controls after two consecutive nights of partial sleep restriction and after habitual sleep. Results The effect of sleep restriction was not significantly different between interictal migraineurs and controls in the primary analyses. Pressure pain thresholds tended to be lower (i.e., increased pain sensitivity) after sleep restriction in interictal migraineurs compared to controls with a 48-hour preictal-interictal cut-off (p = 0.061). We found decreased pain thresholds after sleep restriction in two of seven migraine subgroup comparisons: heat pain thresholds decreased in migraineurs with lower pain intensity during attacks (p = 0.005) and pressure pain thresholds decreased in migraineurs with higher severity of photophobia during attacks (p = 0.031). Heat pain thresholds tended to decrease after sleep restriction in sleep-related migraine (p = 0.060). Sleep restriction did not affect suprathreshold pain measurements in either group. Conclusion This study could not provide strong evidence for an increased effect of sleep restriction on pain sensitivity in migraineurs compared to healthy controls. There might be a slightly increased effect of sleep restriction in migraineurs, detectable using large samples or more pronounced in certain migraine subgroups.

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The Added Value of Sensitivity to Nonnoxious Stimuli to Predict an Individual’s Sensitivity to Pain

January 2018 - Pain Physician ◽

10.36076/ppj.2021.24.e783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. E783-E794

Keyword(s):

Postoperative Pain ◽

Healthy Volunteers ◽

Pain Score ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Pain Catastrophizing ◽

Light Sensitivity ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Cold Pain ◽

Eye Color ◽

Anxiety Depression

BACKGROUND: Simple tools are needed to predict postoperative pain. Questionnaire-based tools such as the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) are validated for this purpose, but prediction could be improved by incorporating other parameters. OBJECTIVES: To explore the potency of sensitivity to nonpainful stimuli and biometric data to improve prediction of pain. STUDY DESIGN: Transversal exploratory study. SETTING: Single clinical investigation center. METHODS. Eighty-five healthy volunteers of both genders underwent a multimodal exploration including biometry, questionnaire-based assessment of anxiety, depression, pain catastrophizing, sensitivity to smell, and the PSQ, followed by a psychophysical assessment of unpleasantness thresholds for light and sound, and sensitivity to mechanical, heat, and cold pain. These last 3 parameters were used to calculate a composite pain score. After a multi-step selection, multivariable analyses identified the explanative factors of experimental pain sensitivity, by including biometric, questionnaire-based, and psychophysical nonnociceptive sensitivity parameters, with the aim of having each domain represented. RESULTS: Female gender predicted mechanical pain, a younger age and dark eyes predicted cold pain, and the PSQ predicted heat pain. Sensitivity to unpleasantness of sound predicted mechanical and heat pain, and sensitivity to unpleasantness of light predicted cold pain. Sensitivity to smell was unrelated. The predictors of the composite pain score were the PSQ, the light unpleasantness threshold, and an interaction between gender and eye color, the score being lower in light-eyed men and higher in all women. The final multivariable multi-domain model was more predictive of pain than the PSQ alone (R2 = 0.301 vs 0.122, respectively). LIMITATIONS: Sensitivity to smell was only assessed by a short questionnaire and could lack relevance. Healthy volunteers were unlikely to elicit psychological risk factors such as anxiety, depression, or catastrophizing. These results have not been validated in a clinical setting (e.g., perioperative). CONCLUSION: The predictive potential of the PSQ can be improved by including information about gender, eye color, and light sensitivity. However, there is still a need for a technique suitable for routine clinical use to assess light sensitivity. KEY WORDS: Personalized medicine, postoperative pain, senses, prediction, photophobia, hyperacusis, eye color, hypervigilance, sensory over-responsivity

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(239) Detectable viral load may be associated with increased heat pain sensitivity in individuals with HIV

Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.jpain.2016.01.143 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. S35

Author(s):

M. Owens ◽

B. Goodin ◽

L. Yessick ◽

R. Gaini ◽

R. Rainey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Viral Load ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Detectable Viral Load

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Association of the resolvin precursor 17-HDHA, but not D- or E- series resolvins, with heat pain sensitivity and osteoarthritis pain in humans

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-017-09516-3 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Ana M. Valdes ◽

Srinivasarao Ravipati ◽

Cristina Menni ◽

Abhishek Abhishek ◽

Sarah Metrustry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Osteoarthritis Pain

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Aerobic Exercise Reduces Pressure More Than Heat Pain Sensitivity in Healthy Adults

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1093/pm/pny289 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (8) ◽

pp. 1534-1546 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Matthew D Jones ◽

James L Nuzzo ◽

Janet L Taylor ◽

Benjamin K Barry

Keyword(s):

Evoked Potentials ◽

Aerobic Exercise ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Laser Evoked Potentials ◽

Pain Thresholds ◽

Pain Ratings ◽

Exercise Induced

Abstract Objectives The hypoalgesic effects of exercise are well described, but there are conflicting findings for different modalities of pain; in particular for mechanical vs thermal noxious stimuli, which are the most commonly used in studies of exercise-induced hypoalgesia. The aims of this study were 1) to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on pressure and heat pain thresholds that were well equated with regard to their temporal and spatial profile and 2) to identify whether changes in the excitability of nociceptive pathways—measured using laser-evoked potentials—accompany exercise-induced hypoalgesia. Subjects Sixteen healthy adults recruited from the University of New South Wales. Methods Pressure and heat pain thresholds and pain ratings to laser stimulation and laser-evoked potentials were measured before and after aerobic cycling exercise and an equivalent period of light activity. Results Pressure pain thresholds increased substantially after exercise (rectus femoris: 29.6%, d = 0.82, P < 0.001; tibialis anterior: 26.9%, d = 0.61, P < 0.001), whereas heat pain thresholds did not (tibialis anterior: 4.2%, d = 0.30, P = 0.27; foot: 0.44%, d = 0.02, P = 1). Laser-evoked potentials and laser heat pain ratings also changed minimally after exercise (d = −0.59 to 0.3, P > 0.06). Conclusions This is the first investigation to compare the effects of exercise on pressure and heat pain using the same stimulation site and pattern. The results show that aerobic exercise reduces mechanical pain sensitivity more than thermal pain sensitivity.

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Sensorimotor Peak Alpha Frequency Is a Reliable Biomarker of Prolonged Pain Sensitivity

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhaa124 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (12) ◽

pp. 6069-6082 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrew J Furman ◽

Mariya Prokhorenko ◽

Michael L Keaser ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

Shuo Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Independent Study ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Alpha Oscillations ◽

Alpha Oscillation ◽

Prolonged Pain ◽

Resting Electroencephalography ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Previous research has observed that the speed of alpha band oscillations (8–12 Hz range) recorded during resting electroencephalography is slowed in chronic pain patients. While this slowing may reflect pathological changes that occur during the chronification of pain, an alternative explanation is that healthy individuals with slower alpha oscillations are more sensitive to prolonged pain, and by extension, more susceptible to developing chronic pain. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the pain-free, resting alpha oscillation speed of healthy individuals and their sensitivity to two models of prolonged pain, Phasic Heat Pain and Capsaicin Heat Pain, at two visits separated by 8 weeks on average (n = 61 Visit 1, n = 46 Visit 2). We observed that the speed of an individual’s pain-free alpha oscillations was negatively correlated with sensitivity to both models and that this relationship was reliable across short (minutes) and long (weeks) timescales. Furthermore, the speed of pain-free alpha oscillations can successfully identify the most pain sensitive individuals, which we validated on data from a separate, independent study. These results suggest that alpha oscillation speed is a reliable biomarker of prolonged pain sensitivity with potential for prospectively identifying pain sensitivity in the clinic.

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