Pain theory & physiology: A literature review and proposed experiment
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Authors
Robosan, Todd J.
Issue Date
2005
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
A literature review tracing the development of today's current theoretical understanding
of pain. An experiment is proposed, which studies the variations in the activity of the
amygdala, blood pressure, and cortisol levels between experimentally induced
intermittent and sustained pain. A method of experimentally inducing deep somatic pain
experiences will be used to, which is induced and temporally controlled using a
computer-controlled system that regulates the release of a medication-grade hypertonic
saline (5%) into the masseter muscle (Zubieta et al., 2002). The participant's responses to
the noxious stimulus will be measured using a blood pressure cuff, a 1.5 T magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) system (Bingel et al., 2002), and Salivette swabs. The doubleblind
experiment, which is randomized and counterbalanced, has both a within-subject
and between-subject component The participants (N = 120) will include male and female
college students who are between the ages of 18 and 22 years old. It is hypothesized that
sustained pain condition will yield lower mean levels of amygdala activity, blood
pressure, and cortisol levels than will the intermittent pain condition.
Description
25 p.
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License
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