摘要

The contribution of endogenous pain modulation dysfunction to clinical and sensory measures of neuropathic pain (NP) has not been fully explored. Habituation, temporal summation, and heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulus-induced modulation of tonic heat pain intensity were examined in healthy noninjured subjects (n = 10), and above the level of spinal cord injury(SCI) in individuals without (SCI-noNP, n = 10) and with NP (SD-NP, n = 10). Thermoalgesic thresholds, Cz/AFz contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs), and phasic or tonic (30 seconds) heat pain intensity were assessed within the C6 dermatome. Although habituation to tonic heat pain intensity (0-10) was reported by the noninjured (10 s: 3.5 +/- 0.3 vs 30s: 2.2 +/- 0.5 numerical rating scale; P = 0:003), loss of habituation was identified in both the SCI-noNP (3.8 +/- 0.3 vs 3.6 +/- 0.5) and SCI-NP group (4.2 +/- 0.4 vs 4.9 +/- 0.8). Significant temporal summation of tonic heat pain intensity was not observed in the 3-groups. Inhibition of tonic heal pain intensity induced by heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulus was identified in the noninjured (-29.7%+/- 9.7%) and SCI-noNP groups (-19.6%+/- 7.0%), but not in subjects with SCI-NP (+1.1%+/- 8:0%; P<0.05). Additionally, the mean conditioned pain modulation response correlated positively with Cz/AFz CHEP amplitude (rho = 0.8; P = 0.015) and evoked heat pain intensity (p = 0.8; P = 0.007) in the SCI-NP group. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the mean conditioned pain modulation (R-2 = 0.72) correlated with pain severity and pressing spontaneous pain in the SCI-NP group. Comprehensive assessment of sensory dysfunction above the level of injury with tonic thermal test and conditioning stimuli revealed less-efficient endogenous pain modulation in subjects with. SCI-NP.

  • 出版日期2015-2

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