When touch predicts pain: predictive tactile cues modulate perceived intensity of painful stimulation independent of expectancy

Conclusion We conclude that pain-associated tactile cues can influence pain, and that this effect is not dependent on stimulus duration. This suggests that explicit expectation is not a requirement for predictive cues to modulate pain. That the presence of the CS+ resulted in only a 5.3% higher intensity rating compared with the CS− may reflect a limitation of laboratory studies, where a limited number of trials, an artificial context and the use of experimental pain are likely to reveal only glimpses of what is clinically possible. Implications Pain-associated visual and auditory cues have been shown to enhance pain in laboratory and clinical scenarios, supposedly by influencing expectation of impending harm. We show that pain-associated somatosensory cues can also modulate pain and that this can occur independently of expectation. This points to a larger potential role for associative learning in the development and treatment of pain than has previously been considered. We suggest that research into associative mechanisms underpinning pain, as distinct from those that link pain to pain-related fear and avoidance, is worthwhile.
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research