Ethnic differences in temporal summation of thermal pain

Abstract

Temporal summation of thermal pain is a frequently implemented dynamic laboratory pain induction technique. However, methodological and analytical techniques vary across studies resulting in a diverse array of findings and limited inter-study comparability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate analytic and interpretive differences in temporal summation of heat pain in a sample of ethnically diverse healthy adults. Participants included 100 African American (AA), 102 non-Hispanic white (NHW), and 94 Hispanic (H) individuals who completed two experimental sessions of laboratory pain stimuli including thermal, ischemic, mechanical, and cold.