scholarly journals The Relationship Between β-Endorphin and Experimental Pain Sensitivity in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyochol Ahn ◽  
Jun-Ho La ◽  
Jin M. Chung ◽  
Hongyu Miao ◽  
Chengxue Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Pressure Pain Threshold ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Knee Oa ◽  
Experimental Pain Sensitivity ◽  
The Relationship

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of pain in people aged >45 years, and the knee is the most commonly affected joint. There is a growing interest in understanding the biological factors that influence pain among older adults, but few studies have examined the relationship between β-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee OA pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between resting plasma levels of β-endorphin and experimental pain sensitivity. This study was a secondary analysis of data for 40 adults with knee OA pain in whom quantitative sensory testing was used to measure experimental sensitivity to heat- and mechanically induced pain. The mean age of the sample was 60 years ( SD = 9 years), and approximately half were female (53%). Regression analyses indicated that β-endorphin level was negatively related to pressure pain threshold (β = −17.18, p = .02) and positively related to punctate mechanical pain (β = 17.13, p = .04), after controlling for age, gender, and OA severity. We did not find a significant relationship between β-endorphin and heat pain tolerance. The results suggest that higher circulating levels of β-endorphin at rest are associated with increased sensitivity to mechanical pain in older adults with knee OA. These findings add to the literature regarding biological factors associated with pain sensitivity in older adults with chronic pain. Additional studies are needed to identify mediators of the relationship between β-endorphin and pain sensitivity in OA and other musculoskeletal pain conditions.

scholarly journals HOME-BASED TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT-CURRENT STIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL PAIN SENSITIVITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S338-S338
Author(s):  
Hyochol Ahn ◽  
Chengxue Zhong ◽  
Setor Sorkpor ◽  
Hongyu Miao
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pressure Pain Threshold ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Knee Oa ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Experimental Pain Sensitivity

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most common causes of pain in older adults. Clinic-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to reduce pain, but no published studies have reported using home-based self-administered tDCS in older adults with knee OA. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of home-based tDCS on experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee OA. Twenty community-dwelling participants aged 50–85 years with knee OA pain received ten daily sessions of 2 mA tDCS for 20 minutes at home. A multimodal quantitative sensory testing battery was completed, including heat pain tolerance, pressure pain threshold, and punctate mechanical pain. Participants (75% female) had a mean age of 61 years, and a mean body mass index in the sample was 28.33 kg/m2. All 20 participants completed all ten home-based tDCS sessions without serious adverse effects. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test showed that all the differences between the baseline measurements and experimental pain sensitivity measurements after 10 sessions were statistically significant. Effect sizes (Rosenthal’s R) were R = 0.35 for heat pain tolerance (P = 0.02), R = 0.40 for pressure pain threshold (P < 0.01), and R = 0.32 for punctate mechanical pain (P = 0.02). We demonstrated that home-based self-administered tDCS was feasible and reduced experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee OA. Future studies with well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to validate our findings.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Acculturation and Experimental Pain Sensitivity in Asian Americans with Knee Osteoarthritis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyochol Ahn ◽  
Setor K. Sorkpor ◽  
Miyong Kim ◽  
Hongyu Miao ◽  
Chengxue Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Asian Americans ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pressure Pain Threshold ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Experimental Pain Sensitivity ◽  
The Relationship

Multiple studies in healthy populations and clinical samples have shown that ethnic minorities have greater pain sensitivity than their majority counterparts. Acculturation is speculated to be one of the sociocultural factors contributing to pain sensitivity since cultural beliefs and practices can influence the way patients perceive and respond to pain. However, the relationship of acculturation to pain sensitivity in minority populations remains poorly understood. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between acculturation and experimental pain sensitivity in 50 Asian Americans residing in North Central Florida with knee osteoarthritis pain. The Suinn-Lew Asian Self Identity Acculturation Scale was used to assess acculturation, and multimodal quantitative sensory testing was performed to measure experimental sensitivity, including heat pain tolerance, pressure pain threshold, and punctate mechanical pain. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed. Participants’ mean age was 55.7 years, and about half of this sample were Korean American (56%). The participants had lived in the United States for 21 years on average. Regression analyses indicated that lower acculturation to American culture may contribute to greater experimental pain sensitivity. Asian Americans who were more acculturated to the American culture had higher heat pain tolerance (beta = 0.61, P=0.01), higher pressure pain threshold (beta = 0.59, P=0.02), and lower ratings of punctate mechanical pain (beta = −0.70, P<0.01). These findings add to the literature regarding sociocultural factors associated with pain in Asian Americans; additional research with a larger and more diverse sample of Asian Americans is warranted for cross-validation.

Experimental pain in dementia

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 2131-2131
Author(s):  
S. Lautenbacher ◽  
M. Kunz
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Sympathetic Skin Response ◽  
Pain Processing ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Screening Battery ◽  
Skin Response ◽  
Experimental Pain Sensitivity ◽  
The Relationship

Two study lines will be presented. One is focussing on the changes in experimental pain responsiveness in patients with dementia compared to healthy elderly and individuals with MCI. Patients with dementia appeared as more pain responsive (lower RIII-reflex thresholds, more pain-related facial responses, no difference in ratings) whereas the results of the MCI group were indistinguishable from those of the health elderly. Only the sympathetic skin response was similarly smaller in patients with dementia and the MCI individuals. The clinical reports of less frequent pain and less requirements of analgesics in dementia were not corroborated by the present experimental data. In the second study line, neuropsychological correlates of experimental pain sensitivity (rating, RIII-reflex, facial responses) were investigated in patients with MCI and dementia. The scores of a screening battery for dementia (SIDAM) and a modified version of the TMT-A were used. Significant correlations were found but only for the R-III threshold. Especially the scale for executive functions helped to explain the R-III reflex thresholds, suggesting frontal contributions to changes in pain processing in dementia. Depression, who often impacts pain processing, did not mediate the relationship between experimental pain and neuropsychology.

The Relationship Between Plasma BDNF and Pain in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis

2021 ◽  
pp. 109980042110124
Author(s):  
Setor K. Sorkpor ◽  
Kelli Galle ◽  
Antonio L. Teixeira ◽  
Gabriela D. Colpo ◽  
Brian Ahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Quantitative Sensory Testing ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Numeric Rating Scale ◽  
Sensory Testing ◽  
Knee Oa ◽  
Heat Pain Threshold ◽  
The Relationship

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent cause of chronic pain and disability in people aged ≥45 years, with the knee being the most affected joint. Neurotrophic factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, have been shown to significantly affect chronic pain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between resting plasma BDNF levels and clinical pain and quantitative sensory testing measures in older adults with knee OA pain. For this secondary analysis, a previously reported dataset was used comprised of older adults with knee OA who underwent quantitative sensory testing. A comprehensive generalized linear model (GLM) was built to understand the relationships between BDNF and important covariates, followed by the elastic net (EN) method for variable selection. GLM was then performed to regress BDNF levels against only the variables selected by EN. The mean age of the sample was 60.4 years ( SD = 9.1). Approximately half of the participants were female (53%). Plasma BDNF levels were positively associated with heat pain threshold and the numeric rating scale of pain. Future mechanistic studies are needed to replicate and extend these findings to advance our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of BDNF in knee OA and other chronic pain conditions.

scholarly journals Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire in Dutch Healthy Volunteers

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Regina L. M. Van Boekel ◽  
Hans Timmerman ◽  
Ewald M. Bronkhorst ◽  
Ruth Ruscheweyh ◽  
Kris C. P. Vissers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Pressure Pain Threshold ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cross Cultural Adaptation

An increased sensitivity to painful stimuli has been proposed to be related to the development of chronic pain. Therefore, assessment of individual pain sensitivity is useful in clinical practice. However, experimental pain testing may be uncomfortable for patients and requires specific equipment. The Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) has been developed to facilitate assessment of pain sensitivity. In this study, we aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the PSQ from its published German and English versions into the Dutch language and to assess validity of the PSQ in healthy volunteers. After translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PSQ following international guidelines, we validated the PSQ in 394 healthy volunteers by comparing the PSQ-values with two different experimental pain tests: electrical pain tolerance (EPT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT). In addition, ratings of pain intensity during these tests were obtained on the numerical rating scale (NRS, 0–10). We found that the reliability of the PSQ based on internal consistency was good (Cronbach’s alpha 0.90). PSQ-scores, adjusted for age and sex, were statistically significant and weakly inversely correlated to EPT (PSQ-moderate: rho = −0.24, p=0.007; PSQ-total: rho = −0.22, p=0.016). No statistically significant correlation between PSQ-scores and PPT was found. Concerning the pain scores, PSQ-scores were weakly to moderately correlated to EPT-NRS (PSQ-minor: rho = 0.21, p=0.021; PSQ-moderate: rho = 0.22, p=0.016; PSQ-total: rho = 0.23, p=0.009) as well as PPT-NRS (PSQ-minor: rho = 0.32, p<0.001; PSQ-moderate: rho = 0.36, p<0.001; PSQ-total: rho = 0.37, p<0.001). Therefore, we concluded that the Dutch version of the PSQ is culturally appropriate for assessing self-reported pain sensitivity in healthy volunteers.

scholarly journals Vitamin D, race, and experimental pain sensitivity in older adults with knee osteoarthritis

2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 3926-3935 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Glover ◽  
B. R. Goodin ◽  
A. L. Horgas ◽  
L. L. Kindler ◽  
C. D. King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Knee Osteoarthritis ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Experimental Pain Sensitivity
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