Abstract
In order to find an experimental approach counteracting habituation in experimental pain research using short infrared laser stimulation in humans we developed a bioadaptive method based on subject's report on painfulness of stimulation (pain report; PR). After determination of the initial relationship between the energy of the laser stimulus and the corresponding PRs, the approach continuously adjusts the intensity of noxious stimuli so that PR is kept constant across time. Each difference between the PR evoked by the actual laser stimulus and the desired PR leads to an increase or decrease of the laser output energy value for the next stimulation with the desired PR proportional to the PR difference as well as to the slope of the initial correlation function between laser energy and corresponding PRs. This method has been applied in a study with nine volunteers. Results show that the approach leads to a constant PR by increasing the laser output energy by 0.01 mJ/s per mm 2 on the average. Furthermore, an analysis of the laser-evoked brain potentials (LEPs) recorded from Cz was performed for the first and second half of stimuli. However, no significant changes in latencies or amplitudes of the main LEP components recorded at 210 ms (N210) and 350 ms (P350) were found. The method seems to be useful for different approaches in experimental and clinical pain research.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.