Other: Behavioral, physiological and perceptual response to noxious cutaneous stimuli

Abstract

Pain can be assessed by self-report, physiological response, or behavioral response to a noxious stimulus. Simultaneous measurement of pain from all three sources provides a comprehensive evaluation of pain sensitivity. This approach to understanding pain is particularly strong when measures converge, allowing more contextual and complete interpretation of data than when they do not. The objective of this experiment was to determine the behavioral, physiological, and perceptual responses to acute cutaneous noxious stimuli. Sixty-six undergraduates were subjected to noxious radiant heat applied to the fingertip and the cold-water pressor test. Behavioral responses consisted of measuring the latency to withdrawal the fingertip from the heat (pain threshold) and the duration that the hand could be held in ice cold water (pain tolerance). Physiological measures consisted of galvanic skin conductance and heart rate. Pain perception was assessed using a visual analog scale following each test. Each participant was tested three times over a three-week period to determine the stability of these pain measurements. A preliminary evaluation of these data shows that pain perception and latency to respond to noxious stimuli are surprisingly variable across trials. However, an increase in skin conductance and heart rate were consistent for both of the nociceptive tests. These data will facilitate our understanding of the pain experience and enhance development of psychosocial interventions that will address pain from a multidimensional perspective.