Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Vibrotactile threshold is elevated in temporomandibular disorders

Mark Hollins1, Asgeir Sigurdsson, Lori Fillingim

  • 1Dental Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7455, USA Department of Pscyhology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7455, USA Department of Endodontics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7455, USA.

Pain
|September 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Clinical pain, like that in temporomandibular disorders (TMD), elevates the vibrotactile threshold, suggesting a

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The future of endodontic diagnosis: A narrative review focusing on biological markers.

JADA foundational science·2026
Same author

[Congenital insensitivity to pain caused by a novel SCN9A-genotype].

Laeknabladid·2026
Same author

Recommended Guidelines of the American Association of Endodontists for the Treatment of Traumatic Dental Injuries.

Journal of endodontics·2026
Same author

Prevalence and Predisposing Factors of Periapical Mucositis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

International endodontic journal·2026
Same author

File-Specific Cyclic Fatigue Resistance of NiTi Instruments After Repeated Use in Simulated Canals: Patterns Compatible with Potential Stress-Induced Martensite Transformation Effects.

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Long-Term Outcomes of Nonsurgical Endodontic Retreatment Performed by a Single Clinician in Private Practice: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Journal of endodontics·2026

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pain Research
  • Somatosensory Science

Background:

  • Experimental pain is known to raise vibrotactile threshold via a 'touch gate' mechanism.
  • The effect of clinical pain on vibrotactile threshold remains largely unexplored.
  • Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) with a myalgic component offer a model to study clinical pain's somatosensory effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether clinical pain, specifically in TMD patients, elevates vibrotactile threshold.
  • To determine if the 'touch gate' phenomenon observed in experimental pain is also present in clinical pain conditions.
  • To explore the relationship between muscle tenderness levels and vibrotactile threshold in TMD patients.

Main Methods:

  • Vibrotactile threshold measurement using two-interval forced-choice tracking.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Stimulus: 25-Hz vibratory stimulus applied to the cheek.
  • Comparison between patients with TMD and age/gender-matched pain-free controls.
  • Assessment of muscle tenderness and spontaneous pain levels in TMD patients.

    • Main Results:

    • TMD patients exhibited significantly elevated vibrotactile thresholds compared to controls.
    • Higher muscle tenderness in TMD patients correlated with significantly higher vibrotactile thresholds.
    • Adapting stimuli (25 Hz) caused parallel threshold elevations in both TMD and control groups, suggesting higher-level processing for adaptation.

    Conclusions:

    • Clinical pain, as exemplified by TMD, appears to operate a 'touch gate,' similar to experimental pain.
    • Vibrotactile threshold elevation is a measurable consequence of clinical pain and muscle tenderness.
    • Further research into touch gating in diverse clinical pain populations is warranted.
    • Sensory adaptation mechanisms may involve distinct neural pathways compared to touch gating in TMD.