Modulation of perception and neurophysiological correlates of brief CO2 laser stimuli in humans using concurrent large fiber stimulation

Abstract

It has been postulated that peripheral large fiber stimulation could modulate pain perception, probably by gating the input from Aδ- and C-fibers. The present study examined the effects of concurrent large fiber stimulation on the perception and neurophysiological correlates of brief CO2 laser stimuli known to activate Aδ- and C-nociceptor endings selectively. Four test stimuli of brief non-painful and painful CO2 laser pulses (duration 50 ms; diameter 5 mm; intensity range 0.116-0.212 J) were delivered at random every 5-10 s on the dorsum of the left forearm of ten healthy subjects. Large fiber stimulation was performed by a dynamic soft brush applied either adjacently to test stimuli (segmental brush condition) or on the dorsum of the contra-lateral foot (extrasegmental brush condition). Perception, reaction time (RT) and laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) were examined for conditions with brush and without brush (control condition). The signal detection theory (SDT) was used to evaluate the discrimination performance and the decision criterion. During extrasegmental brushing, these variables were unaffected as compared with control conditions. During segmental brushing, the absolute detection threshold increased, the probability of detection decreased and the RT increased. Interestingly, the stimulus-response curve of detected stimuli and late LEPs did not change significantly. SDT analysis showed that segmental brushing did not change the discrimination performance or sensitivity but increased significantly the subject's decision criterion for reporting sensation. It was concluded that segmental brushing acted primarily at supra-spinal levels and not by gating the input from small primary afferents activated selectively by brief CO2 laser stimuli.