Understanding inter-individual variability of experimental pain habituation and conditioned pain modulation in healthy individuals.

ABSTRACT: Although reduced experimental pain habituation is proposed as a proxy of diminished endogenous pain modulatory capacity in chronic pain, prior studies show contradictory findings. Even across healthy participants, pain habituation varies substantially, which may relate to another measure of endogenous pain modulation, i.e., conditioned pain modulation (CPM). Hence, this study investigated the relationship between pain habituation and CPM. Pain habituation was assessed in 45 healthy participants between two blocks of 15-20 contact-heat stimuli applied to the hand. Habituation of subjective pain ratings and objective neurophysiological readouts (contact-heat evoked potential (CHEP) and palmar sympathetic skin response (SSR)) was investigated. CPM was assessed by comparing heat pain threshold

SUBMITTER: De Schoenmacker I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11436718 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature