Capsaicin-induced changes in electrical pain perception threshold can be used to assess the magnitude of secondary hyperalgesia in humans.
File(s)Manuscript_revised_accepted_final.docx (108.9 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Areas of secondary hyperalgesia can be assessed using quantitative sensory testing (QST). Delivering noxious electrocutaneous stimulation could provide added benefit by allowing multiple measurements of the magnitude of hyperalgesia. We aimed to characterize the use of electrical pain perception (EPP) thresholds alongside QST as a means by which to measure changes in pain thresholds within an area of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia. METHODS: EPP and heat pain thresholds (HPTs) were measured at five distinct points at baseline and following 1% capsaicin cream application, one within a central zone and four within a secondary zone. Areas of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia were mapped using QST. In a further 14 participants, capsaicin-induced reduction in EPP thresholds was mapped using a radial lines approach across 24 points. RESULTS: There was a reduction in EPP threshold measured at the four points within the secondary zone, which was within the mapped area of mechanical secondary hyperalgesia. The magnitude of secondary hyperalgesia could be split into a mild (∼4% reduction) and severe (∼21% reduction) area within an individual subject. There was no reduction in HPT within the secondary zone, but there was a reduction in both HPT and EPP threshold within the primary zone. EPP mapping revealed differences in the magnitude and spread of hyperalgesia across all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring capsaicin-induced reduction in EPP thresholds can be used to map hyperalgesic areas in humans. This semi-automated approach allows rapid assessment of the magnitude of hyperalgesia, both within an individual subject and across a study population.
Date Issued
2020-11
Date Acceptance
2020-02-25
Citation
Pain Medicine, 2020, 21 (11), pp.2830-2838
ISSN
1526-2375
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Start Page
2830
End Page
2838
Journal / Book Title
Pain Medicine
Volume
21
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model). This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Pain Medicine following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Sam W Hughes, PhD, Meirvaan Basra, Calvin Chan, Callum Parr, Felyx Wong, Sofia Gomes, Paul H Strutton, PhD, Capsaicin-Induced Changes in Electrical Pain Perception Threshold Can Be Used to Assess the Magnitude of Secondary Hyperalgesia in Humans, Pain Medicine, , pnaa082, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaa082
This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model). This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Pain Medicine following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Sam W Hughes, PhD, Meirvaan Basra, Calvin Chan, Callum Parr, Felyx Wong, Sofia Gomes, Paul H Strutton, PhD, Capsaicin-Induced Changes in Electrical Pain Perception Threshold Can Be Used to Assess the Magnitude of Secondary Hyperalgesia in Humans, Pain Medicine, , pnaa082, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaa082
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32337572
PII: 5825386
Subjects
Capsaicin
Electrocutaneous
Secondary Hyperalgesia
Sensitization
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2020-04-26