Neural variability reliably encodes interindividual differences in the perception of pain intensity.

ABSTRACT: Neural activity varies dramatically across time. While such neural variability has been associated with cognition, its relationship with pain remains largely unexplored. Here, we systematically investigated the relationship between neural variability and pain, particularly individual differences in pain intensity discriminability, in six large electroencephalography (EEG) datasets (total N = 633), where healthy volunteers (Datasets 1-5; N = 606) and postherpetic neuralgia patients (Dataset 6; N = 27) received painful or nonpainful sensory stimuli. We found robust correlations between neural variability and interindividual pain intensity discriminability. These correlations were replicable in multiple datasets and seemed not to be caused by stimulus-general factors, as no significant correl

SUBMITTER: Zhang LB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12574952 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature