scholarly journals High frequency electrical stimulation induces a long-lasting enhancement of event-related potentials but does not change the perception elicited by intra-epidermal electrical stimuli delivered to the area of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Biurrun Manresa ◽  
Ole Kæseler Andersen ◽  
André Mouraux ◽  
Emanuel N. van den Broeke
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Secondary Hyperalgesia ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Electrical Stimuli ◽  
N2 Wave

ABSTRACTHigh frequency electrical stimulation (HFS) of the skin induces increased pinprick sensitivity in the surrounding unconditioned skin (secondary hyperalgesia). Moreover, it has been shown that brief high intensity CO2 laser stimuli, activating both Aδ- and C-fiber nociceptors, are perceived as more intense when delivered in the area of secondary hyperalgesia. To investigate the contribution of A-fiber nociceptors to secondary hyperalgesia the present study assessed if the perception and brain responses elicited by low-intensity intra-epidermal electrical stimulation (IES), a method preferentially activating Aδ-fiber nociceptors, are increased in the area of secondary hyperalgesia. HFS was delivered to one of the two forearms of seventeen healthy volunteers. Mechanical pinprick stimulation and IES were delivered at both arms before HFS (T0), 20 minutes after HFS (T1) and 45 minutes after HFS (T2). In all participants, HFS induced an increase in pinprick perception at the HFS-treated arm, adjacent to the site of HFS. This increase was significant at both T1 and T2. HFS did not affect the percept elicited by IES, but did enhance the magnitude of the N2 wave of IES-evoked brain potentials, both at T1 and at T2. HFS induced a long-lasting enhancement of the N2 wave elicited by IES in the area of secondary hyperalgesia, indicating that HFS enhances the responsiveness of the central nervous system to nociceptive inputs conveyed by AMH-II nociceptors. However, we found no evidence that HFS affects the perception elicited by IES, which may suggest that AMH-II nociceptors do not contribute to HFS-induced secondary hyperalgesia.

scholarly journals Enhanced brain responses to C-fiber input in the area of secondary hyperalgesia induced by high-frequency electrical stimulation of the skin

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (9) ◽  
pp. 2059-2066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel N. van den Broeke ◽  
André Mouraux
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Secondary Hyperalgesia ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
C Fibers ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
C Fiber ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
N2 Wave

High-frequency electrical stimulation (HFS) of the human skin induces an increase in both mechanical and heat pain sensitivity in the surrounding unconditioned skin. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of HFS on the intensity of perception and brain responses elicited by the selective activation of C fibers. HFS was applied to the ventral forearm of 15 healthy volunteers. Temperature-controlled CO2 laser stimulation was used to activate selectively low-threshold C-fiber afferents without concomitantly activating Aδ-fiber afferents. These stimuli were detected with reaction times compatible with the conduction velocity of C fibers. The intensity of perception and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by thermal stimuli delivered to the surrounding unconditioned skin were recorded before (T0) and after HFS (T1: 20 min after HFS; T2: 45 min after HFS). The contralateral forearm served as a control. Mechanical hyperalgesia following HFS was confirmed by measuring the change in the intensity of perception elicited by mechanical punctate stimuli. HFS resulted in increased intensity of perception to mechanical punctate stimulation and selective C-fiber thermal stimulation at both time points. In contrast, the N2 wave of the ERP elicited by C-fiber stimulation (679 ± 88 ms; means ± SD) was enhanced at T1 but not at T2. The P2 wave (808 ± 105 ms) was unaffected by HFS. Our results suggest that HFS enhances the sensitivity to thermal C-fiber input in the area of secondary hyperalgesia. However, there was no significant enhancement of the magnitude of the C-fiber ERPs at T2, suggesting that quickly adapting C fibers do not contribute to this enhancement.

Brain Responses to World Knowledge Violations: A Comparison of Stimulus- and Fixation-triggered Event-related Potentials and Neural Oscillations

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 1017-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Metzner ◽  
Titus von der Malsburg ◽  
Shravan Vasishth ◽  
Frank Rösler
Keyword(s):  
Word Meaning ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
World Knowledge ◽  
N400 Effect ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Gamma Range ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Related Potentials

Recent research has shown that brain potentials time-locked to fixations in natural reading can be similar to brain potentials recorded during rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). We attempted two replications of Hagoort, Hald, Bastiaansen, and Petersson [Hagoort, P., Hald, L., Bastiaansen, M., & Petersson, K. M. Integration of word meaning and world knowledge in language comprehension. Science, 304, 438–441, 2004] to determine whether this correspondence also holds for oscillatory brain responses. Hagoort et al. reported an N400 effect and synchronization in the theta and gamma range following world knowledge violations. Our first experiment (n = 32) used RSVP and replicated both the N400 effect in the ERPs and the power increase in the theta range in the time–frequency domain. In the second experiment (n = 49), participants read the same materials freely while their eye movements and their EEG were monitored. First fixation durations, gaze durations, and regression rates were increased, and the ERP showed an N400 effect. An analysis of time–frequency representations showed synchronization in the delta range (1–3 Hz) and desynchronization in the upper alpha range (11–13 Hz) but no theta or gamma effects. The results suggest that oscillatory EEG changes elicited by world knowledge violations are different in natural reading and RSVP. This may reflect differences in how representations are constructed and retrieved from memory in the two presentation modes.

scholarly journals Characterizing pinprick-evoked brain potentials before and after experimentally induced secondary hyperalgesia

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 2672-2681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel N. van den Broeke ◽  
André Mouraux ◽  
Antonia H. Groneberg ◽  
Doreen B. Pfau ◽  
Rolf-Detlef Treede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Secondary Hyperalgesia ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Nociceptive Pathways ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Pain Ratings ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Positive Complex ◽  
Stimulation Of

Secondary hyperalgesia is believed to be a key feature of “central sensitization” and is characterized by enhanced pain to mechanical nociceptive stimuli. The aim of the present study was to characterize, using EEG, the effects of pinprick stimulation intensity on the magnitude of pinprick-elicited brain potentials [event-related potentials (ERPs)] before and after secondary hyperalgesia induced by intradermal capsaicin in humans. Pinprick-elicited ERPs and pinprick-evoked pain ratings were recorded in 19 healthy volunteers, with mechanical pinprick stimuli of varying intensities (0.25-mm probe applied with a force extending between 16 and 512 mN). The recordings were performed before (T0) and 30 min after (T1) intradermal capsaicin injection. The contralateral noninjected arm served as control. ERPs elicited by stimulation of untreated skin were characterized by 1) an early-latency negative-positive complex peaking between 120 and 250 ms after stimulus onset (N120-P240) and maximal at the vertex and 2) a long-lasting positive wave peaking 400–600 ms after stimulus onset and maximal more posterior (P500), which was correlated to perceived pinprick pain. After capsaicin injection, pinprick stimuli were perceived as more intense in the area of secondary hyperalgesia and this effect was stronger for lower compared with higher stimulus intensities. In addition, there was an enhancement of the P500 elicited by stimuli of intermediate intensity, which was significant for 64 mN. The other components of the ERPs were unaffected by capsaicin. Our results suggest that the increase in P500 magnitude after capsaicin is mediated by facilitated mechanical nociceptive pathways.

Source Localization of Subtopographic Brain Maps for Event Related Potentials (ERP)

2008 ◽  
pp. 1247-1252
Author(s):  
Adil Deniz Duru ◽  
Ali Bayram ◽  
Tamer Demiralp ◽  
Ahmet Ademoglu
Keyword(s):  
Source Localization ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Functional Brain Imaging ◽  
Frequency Content ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
The Brain

Event-related potentials (ERP) are transient brain responses to cognitive stimuli, and they consist of several stationary events whose temporal frequency content can be characterized in terms of oscillations or rhythms. Precise localization of electrical events in the brain, based on the ERP data recorded from the scalp, has been one of the main challenges of functional brain imaging. Several currentDensity estimation techniques for identifying the electrical sources generating the brain potentials are developed for the so-called neuroelectromagnetic inverse problem in the last three decades (Baillet, Mosher, & Leahy, 2001; Koles, 1998; Michela, Murraya, Lantza, Gonzaleza, Spinellib, & Grave de Peraltaa, 2004; Scherg & von Cramon, 1986).

How children process over-regularizations: Evidence from event-related brain potentials

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
HARALD CLAHSEN ◽  
MONIKA LÜCK ◽  
ANJA HAHNE
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
On Line ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
Dual Mechanism

ABSTRACTThis study examines the mental processes involved in children's on-line recognition of inflected word forms using event-related potentials (ERPs). Sixty children in three age groups (20 six- to seven-year-olds, 20 eight- to nine-year-olds, 20 eleven- to twelve-year-olds) and 23 adults (tested in a previous study) listened to sentences containing correct or incorrect German noun plural forms. In the two older child groups, as well as in the adult group, over-regularized plural forms elicited brain responses that are characteristic of combinatorial (grammatical) violations. We also found that ERP components associated with language processing change from child to adult with respect to their onsets and their topography. The ERP violation effects obtained for over-regularizations suggest that children (aged eight years and above) and adults employ morphological computation for processing purposes, consistent with dual-mechanism models of inflection. The observed differences between children's and adults' ERP responses are argued to result from children's smaller lexicons and from slower and less efficient processing.

scholarly journals Central sensitization increases the pupil dilation elicited by mechanical pinprick stimulation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.N. van den Broeke ◽  
D.M. Hartgerink ◽  
J Butler ◽  
J Lambert ◽  
A Mouraux
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Central Sensitization ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Similar Pattern ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Pupil Dilation ◽  
Negative Wave ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Stimulation Intensity ◽  
Brain Responses

ABSTRACTHigh frequency electrical stimulation (HFS) of skin nociceptors triggers central sensitization, manifested as increased pinprick sensitivity of the skin surrounding the site at which HFS was applied. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of HFS on pupil dilation and brain responses elicited by pinprick stimulation delivered in the area of increased pinprick sensitivity. In fourteen healthy volunteers HFS was applied to one of the two forearms. Before and twenty minutes after applying HFS, mechanical pinprick stimuli (64 mN and 96 mN) were delivered to the area surrounding the site at which HFS was applied as well as the contralateral control arm. During pinprick stimulation both the pupil size and electroencephalogram were recorded. HFS induced a clear and comparable increase in pinprick sensitivity for both the 64 and 96 mN stimulation intensity. Both pinprick stimulation intensities elicited a greater pupil dilation response when delivered to the area of increased pinprick sensitivity. However, this greater pupil dilation response was larger for the 64 mN compared to the 96 mN stimulation intensity. A similar pattern was observed for the negative wave of the pinprick-evoked brain potentials (PEPs), however, the increase was not significant for the 96 mN and showed only a trend towards significance for the 64 mN. These results show that there is a correspondence between the increase in pupil dilation and the increase in PEPs, but that pupil size is a more sensitive measure for detecting the effects of central sensitization than PEPs.

The effect of high-frequency conditioning stimulation of human skin on reported pain intensity and event-related potentials

2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (8) ◽  
pp. 2276-2281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel N. van den Broeke ◽  
Casper H. van Heck ◽  
Linda A. J. M. Ceelen ◽  
Clementina M. van Rijn ◽  
Harry van Goor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Human Skin ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Conditioning Stimulation ◽  
Skin Site ◽  
Electrical Test ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Electrical Stimuli

High-frequency conditioning electrical stimulation (HFS) of human skin induces an increased pain sensitivity to mechanical stimuli in the surrounding nonconditioned skin. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of HFS on reported pain sensitivity to single electrical stimuli applied within the area of conditioning stimulation. We also investigated the central nervous system responsiveness to these electrical stimuli by measuring event-related potentials (ERPs). Single electrical test stimuli were applied in the conditioned area before and 30 min after HFS. During electrical test stimulation, the reported pain intensity (numerical rating scale) and EEG (ERPs) were measured. Thirty minutes after conditioning stimulation, we observed a decrease of reported pain intensity at both the conditioned and control (opposite arm) skin site in response to the single electrical test stimuli. In contrast, we observed enhanced ERP amplitudes after HFS at the conditioned skin site, compared with control site, in response to the single electrical test stimuli. Recently, it has been proposed that ERPs, at least partly, reflect a saliency detection system. Therefore, the enhanced ERPs might reflect enhanced saliency to potentially threatening stimuli.

Central Nervous System Processing of Emotions in Children with Fecal Incontinence and Constipation

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-71
Author(s):  
Monika Equit ◽  
Justine Niemczyk ◽  
Anna Kluth ◽  
Carla Thomas ◽  
Mathias Rubly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Fecal Incontinence ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Afferent Pathways ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Cortical Regions

Abstract. Objective: Fecal incontinence and constipation are common disorders in childhood. The enteric nervous system and the central nervous system are highly interactive along the brain-gut axis. The interaction is mainly afferent. These afferent pathways include centers that are involved in the central nervous processing of emotions as the mid/posterior insula and the anterior cingulate cortex. A previous study revealed altered processing of emotions in children with fecal incontinence. The present study replicates these results. Methods: In order to analyze the processing of emotions, we compared the event-related potentials of 25 children with fecal incontinence and constipation to those of 15 control children during the presentation of positive, negative, and neutral pictures. Results: Children with fecal incontinence and constipation showed altered processing of emotions, especially in the parietal and central cortical regions. Conclusions: The main study results of the previous study were replicated, increasing the certainty and validity of the findings.

scholarly journals Frequency Sensitivity of Neural Responses to English Verb Argument Structure Violations

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jona Sassenhagen ◽  
Ryan Blything ◽  
Elena V. M. Lieven ◽  
Ben Ambridge
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Online Processing ◽  
Verb Argument Structure ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

How are verb-argument structure preferences acquired? Children typically receive very little negative evidence, raising the question of how they come to understand the restrictions on grammatical constructions. Statistical learning theories propose stochastic patterns in the input contain sufficient clues. For example, if a verb is very common, but never observed in transitive constructions, this would indicate that transitive usage of that verb is illegal. Ambridge et al. (2008) have shown that in offline grammaticality judgements of intransitive verbs used in transitive constructions, low-frequency verbs elicit higher acceptability ratings than high-frequency verbs, as predicted if relative frequency is a cue during statistical learning. Here, we investigate if the same pattern also emerges in on-line processing of English sentences. EEG was recorded while healthy adults listened to sentences featuring transitive uses of semantically matched verb pairs of differing frequencies. We replicate the finding of higher acceptabilities of transitive uses of low- vs. high-frequency intransitive verbs. Event-Related Potentials indicate a similar result: early electrophysiological signals distinguish between misuse of high- vs low-frequency verbs. This indicates online processing shows a similar sensitivity to frequency as off-line judgements, consistent with a parser that reflects an original acquisition of grammatical constructions via statistical cues. However, the nature of the observed neural responses was not of the expected, or an easily interpretable, form, motivating further work into neural correlates of online processing of syntactic constructions.

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