Inhibition of Pain and Pain-Related Brain Activity by Heterotopic Noxious Counter-Stimulation and Selective Attention in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Publication date: Available online 10 October 2017Source: NeuroscienceAuthor(s): Alexandra Ladouceur, Nabi Rustamov, Jean-Daniel Dubois, Jessica Tessier, Alexandre Lehmann, Martin Descarreaux, Pierre Rainville, Mathieu PichéAbstractThe aim of the present study was to assess inhibition of pain and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) by heterotopic noxious counter-stimulation (HNCS) and by selective attention in patients with chronic non-specific LBP. Seventeen patients and age/sex-matched controls were recruited (10 men, 7 women; mean age ± SD: 43.3 ± 10.4 and 42.7 ± 11.1, respectively). On average, patients with LBP reported pain duration of 7.6 ± 6.5 years, light to moderate disability (19.3 ± 5.7/100) and low clinical pain intensity (21.8 ± 1.5/100), while pain catastrophizing, state and trait anxiety and depressive symptoms were not significantly different between groups (all p’s>0.05). HNCS and selective attention had differential inhibitory effects on pain and SEP, but no difference was observed between groups. Across both groups, HNCS decreased pain (p = 0.06) as well as the N100 and the N150 components of SEP (p’s <0.001), while selective attention only decreased pain (p < 0.01) and the N100 (p < 0.001). In contrast, the P260 was decreased by HNCS only when attention was directed toward the HNCS stimulus (p < 0.01). This indicates that patients with the characteristics described above...
Source: Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research