[Adaptive modifications of cold pain. III. Communication: short-term experiments with 1-min-intervals (author's...

The subjective short-term habituation to pain-inducing cold stimuli is demonstrated for the first time by measuring the tolerated exposition time. It proves impossible to separate temporally a detection threshold of cold pain from the distress reaction level. The slope of subjective habituation is clearly dependent on the individual vegetative starting position. It is discussed why the blood pressure reaction may be used as a valid parameter for experienced intensity of a cold pain sensation only to a limited extent.