The Effects of Pain and the Memory of Pain on Autonomic and Neuromuscular Function

Summary

The prevalence of chronic pain has been estimated at 30% in the US and these values may under report the true prevalence of people who experience long term pain as additional research has shown that 73% will have a reoccurrence of symptoms within 12 months of the original injury indicating that while the pain and symptoms may resolve, additional impairments or issues may underlie the symptoms.

Biopsychosocial factors such as depression, post traumatic stress, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and negative emotions have been closely linked to pain and can influence a patient's pain perceptions. Along these lines, the memory of past experiences and trauma potentially play a large role in these biopsychosocial responses. Research is evolving and a strong correlation has been established between chronic pain and prior history of trauma or abuse and also non-traumatic incidents such as motor vehicle accidents and injuries/surgical procedures. This has led to speculation and research that explores how a variety of life events may become stimulants for long-term alterations in the processing and manifestation of pain and how they may have an enduring impact on physical health outcomes.

The proposed research will add to the body of knowledge underlying the association between pain, memory, autonomic system, and neuromuscular function. The goal of this project is to study the relationship between pain memory systems, specifically acute pain, short-term memory of pain, and long term pain memory, and their effects upon neuromuscular and autonomic system responses in the body.

Conditions

• Pain

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Experimental Noxious Stimulus

Localized manual pressure will be placed up predetermined points on the lower extremity until maximum pain tolerance levels are reached.

BEHAVIORAL

Memory of Experimental Noxious Stimulus

Subjects will be asked to visualize previously experience experimental noxious stimulus

BEHAVIORAL

Memory of Prior Significant Injury

Subjects will visual prior significant injury or a predetermined lower extremity region in control subjects.

PROCEDURE

Mental Challenge Test

Subjects will count backwards from 100 by specified amounts as rapidly as possible

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles, CA

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• M. Samuel Cheng, DSc · Nova Southeastern University

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-05-31

Primary Completion

2015-06-30

Completion

2015-10-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations