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Emotional modulation of pain and spinal nociception in persons with severe insomnia symptoms
Jennifer L DelVentura1, Ellen L Terry, Emily J Bartley
1Department of Psychology, The University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA.
Background:
Impaired sleep enhances pain, perhaps by disrupting pain modulation.
Purpose:
Given that emotion modulates pain, the present study examined whether emotional modulation of pain and nociception is impaired in persons with severe insomnia symptoms relative to controls.
Methods:
Insomnia group (n = 12) met the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision symptoms for primary insomnia and controls (n = 13) reported no sleep impairment. Participants were shown emotionally evocative pictures (mutilation, neutral, and erotica) during which suprathreshold pain stimuli were delivered to evoke pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR; physiological correlate of spinal nociception).
Results:
Emotional responses to pictures were similar in both groups, except that subjective valence/pleasure ratings were blunted in insomnia. Emotional modulation of pain and NFR was observed in controls, but only emotional modulation of NFR was observed in insomnia.
Conclusions:
Consistent with previous findings, pain modulation is disrupted in insomnia, which might promote pain. This may stem from disrupted supraspinal circuits not disrupted brain-to-spinal cord circuits.
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