Diversity in the emotional modulation of pain perception: An account of individual variability

ConclusionOverall, inducing a positive emotional state mitigates pain perception, while negative emotional state amplifies it. The magnitudes of these separate pain‐modulating effects, however, vary across individuals, and are associated with individual levels of depressive and anxious feelings, even within a non‐clinical population. SignificanceThe opposite effects of valence on pain amplification and modulation revealed in this study are novel. This study shows that emotional modulation of pain varies markedly across individuals and is related to psychological factors including depression and anxiety. Examining this link in healthy individuals may inform our understanding of the comorbidity between pain and depression/anxiety.
Source: European Journal of Pain - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research