Related Experiment Videos
Does acute intraoral pain alter cutaneous sensibility?
P Hansson1, A Ekblom, U Lindblom
1Department of Physiology II, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
|August 1, 1988
Summary
Acute postoperative pain did not alter tactile, cold, or heat sensation. However, reaction times to warm stimuli increased in painful areas, suggesting an inhibitory effect on the warm pathway.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Sensory Physiology
Background:
- Acute postoperative pain is a common clinical issue.
- Understanding the sensory changes associated with pain is crucial for effective management.
- Previous research has explored various aspects of pain and sensory perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of acute intraoral pain on cutaneous sensibility.
- To determine if pain affects tactile, thermal, and heat-pain thresholds, and reaction times.
- To explore potential mechanisms underlying observed sensory changes.
Main Methods:
- Eight patients with acute postoperative intraoral pain were recruited.
- Cutaneous sensibility was assessed using quantitative sensory testing.
- Tests included tactile, cold, warm, and heat-pain thresholds, and reaction times to cold and warm pulses.
Main Results:
- Tactile, cold, and heat-pain thresholds remained unaffected by pain.
- Reaction times to cold pulses were also unchanged.
- A significant increase in reaction time to warm pulses was observed in the painful area.
Conclusions:
- Acute intraoral pain does not generally impair cutaneous sensibility.
- The delayed reaction time to warm stimuli suggests a specific effect on the warm sensory pathway.
- This finding may be explained by intrasegmental noxious inhibitory controls or secondary hyperalgesia.