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Jaw clenching modulates sensory perception in high- but not in low-hypnotizable subjects
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. talm@cc.huji.ac.il
Aims:
To investigate the effect of jaw clenching on the sensations evoked at segmental and nonsegmental levels by painful and nonpainful stimuli and in relation to hypnotic susceptibility.
Methods:
The effect of jaw clenching on painful and nonpainful sensations on the face and leg was studied in high-hypnotizable (HH) and low-hypnotizable (LH) subjects. Sixteen healthy subjects were selected and assigned to either the HH group (n = 8) or the LH group (n = 8). Painful and nonpainful electrical stimuli were delivered in random order to the face and leg. The subjects rated the intensity of the evoked sensation on a visual analog scale (VAS) while clenching or not clenching their jaw.
Results:
Jaw clenching significantly attenuated the VAS sensory ratings of all the subjects under various conditions (F(1-31) = 6.15, P < .02). When the HH and LH subjects were analyzed separately, jaw clenching was found to be effective in reducing sensations only in the HH subjects (F(1-15) = 8.30, P = .01), only those evoked in the face (segmental level), and only those evoked by nonpainful stimuli (tied Z = 2.52, tied P < .02).
Conclusion:
Sensory modulation produced by jaw clenching may be related to hypnotic susceptibility. On the whole, jaw clenching had a weak, local effect in modulating sensation, in contrast to its known widespread effect on motor behavior.
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