A novel paradigm to evaluate conditioned pain modulation in fibromyalgia.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Application of noxious stimulation to one body area reduces pain sensitivity in a remote body area through activation of an endogenous pain-inhibitory network, a behavioral phenomenon referred to as conditioned pain modulation (CPM). The efficiency of CPM is predictive of a variety of health outcomes, while impaired CPM has been associated with various chronic pain conditions. Current methods used to assess CPM vary widely, and interest in CPM method development remains strong. Here, we evaluated a novel method for assessing CPM in healthy controls and fibromyalgia (FM) patients using thumb pressure as both a test and conditioning stimulus.

Methods

Sixteen female FM patients and 14 matched healthy controls underwent CPM testing with thumbnail pressure as the tes

SUBMITTER: Schoen CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5045220 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature