scholarly journals Sensorimotor peak alpha frequency is a reliable biomarker of pain sensitivity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Furman ◽  
Mariya Prokhorenko ◽  
Michael L. Keaser ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Shuo Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Independent Study ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Alpha Frequency ◽  
Alpha Oscillation ◽  
Prolonged Pain

AbstractPrevious research has observed that individuals with chronic pain demonstrate slower alpha band oscillations (8-12 Hz range) during resting electroencephalography (EEG) than do age-matched, healthy controls. While this slowing may reflect pathological changes within the brain that occur during the chronification of pain, an alternative explanation is that healthy individuals with slower alpha frequencies are more sensitive to prolonged pain, and by extension, more susceptible to developing chronic pain. To formally test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the pain-free, resting alpha frequency of healthy individuals and their subsequent sensitivity to two experimental models of prolonged pain, Phasic Heat Pain and Capsaicin Heat Pain, at two testing visits separated by 8 weeks on average (n = 61 Visit 1, n = 46 Visit 2). We observed that the speed of an individual’s pain-free alpha oscillations was negatively correlated with sensitivity to both prolonged pain tests and that this relationship was reliable across short (minutes) and long (weeks) timescales. Furthermore, we used the speed of pain-free alpha oscillations to successfully identify those individuals most sensitive to prolonged pain, which we also validated on data from a separate, independent study. These results suggest that alpha oscillation speed is a reliable biomarker of prolonged pain sensitivity with the potential to become a tool for prospectively identifying pain sensitivity in the clinic.

scholarly journals Sensorimotor Peak Alpha Frequency Is a Reliable Biomarker of Prolonged Pain Sensitivity

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 6069-6082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J Furman ◽  
Mariya Prokhorenko ◽  
Michael L Keaser ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Shuo Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Independent Study ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Alpha Oscillation ◽  
Prolonged Pain ◽  
Resting Electroencephalography ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Previous research has observed that the speed of alpha band oscillations (8–12 Hz range) recorded during resting electroencephalography is slowed in chronic pain patients. While this slowing may reflect pathological changes that occur during the chronification of pain, an alternative explanation is that healthy individuals with slower alpha oscillations are more sensitive to prolonged pain, and by extension, more susceptible to developing chronic pain. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the pain-free, resting alpha oscillation speed of healthy individuals and their sensitivity to two models of prolonged pain, Phasic Heat Pain and Capsaicin Heat Pain, at two visits separated by 8 weeks on average (n = 61 Visit 1, n = 46 Visit 2). We observed that the speed of an individual’s pain-free alpha oscillations was negatively correlated with sensitivity to both models and that this relationship was reliable across short (minutes) and long (weeks) timescales. Furthermore, the speed of pain-free alpha oscillations can successfully identify the most pain sensitive individuals, which we validated on data from a separate, independent study. These results suggest that alpha oscillation speed is a reliable biomarker of prolonged pain sensitivity with potential for prospectively identifying pain sensitivity in the clinic.

scholarly journals Prolonged Pain Reliably Slows Peak Alpha Frequency by Reducing Fast Alpha Power

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J Furman ◽  
Mariya Prohorenko ◽  
Michael L Keaser ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Shuo Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alpha Rhythm ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Alpha Frequency ◽  
Promising Therapeutic Target ◽  
Prolonged Pain ◽  
Ongoing Pain ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between the 8-12 Hz alpha rhythm, the predominant oscillatory activity of the brain, and pain remains unclear. In healthy individuals, acute, noxious stimuli suppress alpha power while patients with chronic pain demonstrate both enhanced alpha power and slowing of the peak alpha frequency (PAF). To investigate these apparent differences, EEG was recorded from healthy individuals while they completed two models of prolonged pain, Phasic Heat Pain and Capsaicin Heat Pain, at two testing visits occurring roughly 8 weeks apart. We report that PAF is reliably slowed and that alpha power is reliably decreased in response to prolonged pain. Furthermore, we show that alpha power changes, but not PAF changes, are fully reversed with stimulus removal suggesting that PAF slowing reflects pain associated states such as sensitization rather than the presence of ongoing pain. Finally, we provide evidence that changes to alpha power and PAF are due to power decreases in the fast (10-12 Hz) range of the alpha rhythm. This frequency dependent pain response aligns with the hypothesis that the alpha rhythm is composed of multiple, independent oscillators, and suggest that modulation of a putative fast oscillator may represent a promising therapeutic target for treating ongoing pain. In sum, we provide strong evidence that PAF is reliably slowed during prolonged pain and additionally identify a mechanism, fast alpha Power, which is responsible for these PAF changes.

scholarly journals Cerebral peak alpha frequency reflects average pain severity in a human model of sustained, musculoskeletal pain

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 1784-1793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Furman ◽  
Tribikram Thapa ◽  
Simon J. Summers ◽  
Rocco Cavaleri ◽  
Jack S. Fogarty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Musculoskeletal Pain ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Human Model ◽  
Disease Emergence ◽  
Alpha Frequency ◽  
Average Pain ◽  
Prolonged Pain ◽  
Developing Muscle

Heightened pain sensitivity, the amount of pain experienced in response to a noxious event, is a known risk factor for development of chronic pain. We have previously reported that pain-free, sensorimotor peak alpha frequency (PAF) is a reliable biomarker of pain sensitivity for thermal, prolonged pains lasting tens of minutes. To test whether PAF can provide information about pain sensitivity occurring over clinically relevant timescales (i.e., weeks), EEG was recorded before and while participants experienced a long-lasting pain model, repeated intramuscular injection of nerve growth factor (NGF), that produces progressively developing muscle pain for up to 21 days. We demonstrate that pain-free, sensorimotor PAF is negatively correlated with NGF pain sensitivity; increasingly slower PAF is associated with increasingly greater pain sensitivity. Furthermore, PAF remained stable following NGF injection, indicating that the presence of NGF pain for multiple weeks is not sufficient to induce the PAF slowing reported in chronic pain. In total, our results demonstrate that slower pain-free, sensorimotor PAF is associated with heightened sensitivity to a long-lasting musculoskeletal pain and also suggest that the apparent slowing of PAF in chronic pain may reflect predisease pain sensitivity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Pain sensitivity, the intensity of pain experienced after injury, has been identified as an important risk factor in the development of chronic pain. Biomarkers of pain sensitivity have the potential to ease chronic pain burdens by preventing disease emergence. In the current study, we demonstrate that the speed of pain-free, sensorimotor peak alpha frequency recorded during resting-state EEG predicts pain sensitivity to a clinically-relevant, human model of prolonged pain that persists for weeks.

scholarly journals Predicting Post-operative Pain in Lung Cancer Patients using Pre-operative Peak Alpha Frequency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha K. Millard ◽  
Andrew J Furman ◽  
Amy Kerr ◽  
David A. Seminowicz ◽  
Babu Naidu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Pain Severity ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients ◽  
Alpha Frequency ◽  
Post Operative Period ◽  
Post Operative Pain ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Lower Pain

Aims and Objectives: Experimental models of neuropathic pain suggest that individual peak alpha frequency (PAF), measured using electroencephalography (EEG), can predict future pain sensitivity in experimental settings. Here, we tested whether PAF could predict future pain severity in a clinical setting in patients undergoing thoracotomy. Methods: Recorded using wearable around the ear electrodes (cEEGrids), the feasibility and efficacy of pre-operative PAF as a neuro-marker for post-operative pain was assessed in 16 patients undergoing thoracic surgery for lung cancer (age = 67.53 +/- 4.38 [SD]). Patients also provided numerical ratings (0-10) of current, average, and worst pain pre-operatively as well as within three days post-operatively Results and Significance: Pre-operative PAF of less than 9 Hz was highly sensitive (1.0) and specific (0.86) in identifying patients who would go on to experience severe (>7/10) worst pain. Moreover, PAF was negatively correlated with a patients' current, average, and worst post-operative pain. PAF was significantly higher for those reporting lower pain severity compared to those reporting higher pain severity in the immediate post-operative period. This suggests that PAF is a promising neuro-marker to pre-operatively assess individual susceptibility to severe pain in the immediate post-operative period, possibly enabling a more informed assessment of an individual's suitability for surgery.

scholarly journals Reduction in left frontal alpha oscillations by transcranial alternating current stimulation in major depressive disorder is context-dependent in a randomized-clinical trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Riddle ◽  
Morgan L. Alexander ◽  
Crystal Edler Schiller ◽  
David R. Rubinow ◽  
Flavio Frohlich
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Single Session ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Alpha Frequency ◽  
Alpha Oscillation ◽  
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation

Background: Left frontal alpha oscillations are associated with decreased approach motivation and have been proposed as a target for non-invasive brain stimulation for the treatment of depression and anhedonia. Indeed, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at the alpha frequency reduced left frontal alpha power and was associated with a higher response rate than placebo stimulation in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in a recent double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial. Methods: In this current study, we aimed to replicate such successful target engagement by delineating the effects of a single session of bifrontal tACS at the individualized alpha frequency (IAF-tACS) on alpha oscillations in patients with MDD. Electrical brain activity was recorded during rest and while viewing emotionally-salient images before and after stimulation to investigate if the modulation of alpha oscillation by tACS exhibited specificity with regards to valence. Results: In agreement with the previous study of tACS in MDD, we found that a single session of bifrontal IAF-tACS reduced left frontal alpha power during the resting state when compared to placebo. Furthermore, the reduction of left frontal alpha oscillation by tACS was specific for stimuli with positive valence. In contrast, these effects on left frontal alpha power were not found in healthy control participants. Conclusion: Together these results support an important role of tACS in reducing left frontal alpha oscillations as a future treatment for MDD. National Clinical Trial: NCT03449979, Single Session of tACS in a Depressive Episode (SSDE) https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03449979 .

scholarly journals Slow peak alpha frequency and corticomotor depression linked to high pain susceptibility in transition to sustained pain

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
DA Seminowicz ◽  
T Thapa ◽  
AJ Furman ◽  
SJ Summers ◽  
R Cavaleri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Severe Pain ◽  
Central Peak ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Pain Model ◽  
Corticomotor Excitability ◽  
Alpha Frequency

AbstractMechanisms that predict an individual’s susceptibility to pain, before pain is present or in the first few days following pain onset, are unknown. We utilised a clinically-relevant human transitional pain model (intramuscular injections of nerve growth factor) to examine brain mechanisms that predict pain susceptibility. Resting state EEG and corticomotor excitability measured by TMS were evaluated longitudinally in healthy individuals as pain developed and resolved over 21 days. Whereas pre-pain central peak alpha frequency (PAF) correlated with peak pain occurring 4-6 days later, altered corticomotor excitability developed several days after pain onset and showed two distinct patterns (facilitation, depression). Individuals with combined slow PAF and corticomotor depression developed more severe pain. These data provide the first evidence of the temporal profile of key brain mechanisms as pain progressively develops. PAF and corticomotor excitability could represent biomarkers for susceptibility to high pain severity and subsequently, the development of chronic pain.

scholarly journals Genetic components of human pain sensitivity: a protocol for a genome-wide association study of experimental pain in healthy volunteers

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e025530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annina B Schmid ◽  
Kaustubh Adhikari ◽  
Luis Miguel Ramirez-Aristeguieta ◽  
Juan-Camilo Chacón-Duque ◽  
Giovanni Poletti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Genetic Components ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
The University ◽  
Genetic Contributions

IntroductionPain constitutes a major component of the global burden of diseases. Recent studies suggest a strong genetic contribution to pain susceptibility and severity. Whereas most of the available evidence relies on candidate gene association or linkage studies, research on the genetic basis of pain sensitivity using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is still in its infancy. This protocol describes a proposed GWAS on genetic contributions to baseline pain sensitivity and nociceptive sensitisation in a sample of unrelated healthy individuals of mixed Latin American ancestry.Methods and analysisA GWAS on genetic contributions to pain sensitivity in the naïve state and following nociceptive sensitisation will be conducted in unrelated healthy individuals of mixed ancestry. Mechanical and thermal pain sensitivity will be evaluated with a battery of quantitative sensory tests evaluating pain thresholds. In addition, variation in mechanical and thermal sensitisation following topical application of mustard oil to the skin will be evaluated.Ethics and disseminationThis study received ethical approval from the University College London research ethics committee (3352/001) and from the bioethics committee of the Odontology Faculty at the University of Antioquia (CONCEPTO 01–2013). Findings will be disseminated to commissioners, clinicians and service users via papers and presentations at international conferences.

Rhythmic Activity and Individual Variability in Recognition Memory: Theta Oscillations Correlate with Performance whereas Alpha Oscillations Correlate with ERPs

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Y. Chen ◽  
Jeremy B. Caplan
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Rhythmic Activity ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Alpha Oscillation ◽  
Familiarity And Recollection ◽  
Visual Inattention

During study trials of a recognition memory task, alpha (∼10 Hz) oscillations decrease, and concurrently, theta (4–8 Hz) oscillations increase when later memory is successful versus unsuccessful (subsequent memory effect). Likewise, at test, reduced alpha and increased theta activity are associated with successful memory (retrieval success effect). Here we take an individual-differences approach to test three hypotheses about theta and alpha oscillations in verbal, old/new recognition, measuring the difference in oscillations between hit trials and miss trials. First, we test the hypothesis that theta and alpha oscillations have a moderately mutually exclusive relationship; but no support for this hypothesis was found. Second, we test the hypothesis that theta oscillations explain not only memory effects within participants, but also individual differences. Supporting this prediction, durations of theta (but not alpha) oscillations at study and at test correlated significantly with d′ across participants. Third, we test the hypothesis that theta and alpha oscillations reflect familiarity and recollection processes by comparing oscillation measures to ERPs that are implicated in familiarity and recollection. The alpha-oscillation effects correlated with some ERP measures, but inversely, suggesting that the actions of alpha oscillations on memory processes are distinct from the roles of familiarity- and recollection-linked ERP signals. The theta-oscillation measures, despite differentiating hits from misses, did not correlate with any ERP measure; thus, theta oscillations may reflect elaborative processes not tapped by recollection-related ERPs. Our findings are consistent with alpha oscillations reflecting visual inattention, which can modulate memory, and with theta oscillations supporting recognition memory in ways that complement the most commonly studied ERPs.

scholarly journals Effect of the duration of chronic low back pain on pain sensitivity of patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery

Pain medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-15
Author(s):  
Mei-ping Qian ◽  
Mei-rong Dong ◽  
Fang Kang ◽  
Juan Li
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Chronic Low Back Pain ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Lumbar Fusion ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Fusion Surgery ◽  
Lumbar Fusion Surgery

Background: chronic low back pain is a serious social problem. In recent years, patients who choose lumbar fusion surgery due to chronic low back pain has been increasing. Pre-existing chronic pain has been associated with severe postoperative pain. In this study, we have sought to prospectively analyze the association between the duration of chronic low back pain and pain sensitivity after lumbar fusion surgery. Methods: 400 patients who underwent lumbar fusion surgery were divided into three groups based on the duration of chronic pain. During the first postoperative day, the maximum pain scores of each patient day and night, the pain scores at the day of discharge, the consumption of postoperative analgesics and the length of hospital stay were recorded. Results: of 400 patients recruited, 369 patients completed the experiment. There was no significant difference in gender, age, height, weight, pre-operative pain at rest, and operation time in the three groups. During the day, the pain sensitivity of the three groups were 1.71 ± 0.66, 2.40 ± 0.74, 2.90 ± 0.80. During the night, the pain sensitivity of the three groups were 3.45 ± 0.81, 4.31 ± 1.06, 4.86 ± 1.05. At the day of discharge, the pain sensitivity of three groups were 1.26 ± 0.46, 1.47 ± 0.58, 1.96 ± 0.64. There were significant differences in pain sensitivity among the three groups during the day and night on the first postoperative day and at the day of discharge (p < 0.05). The length of hospital stay (7.31 ± 1.36 days, 8.82 ± 1.48 days, 9.60 ± 1.61 days) and analgesic consumption (25.04 ± 36.56 mg, 33.52 ± 24.04 mg, 45.15 ± 24.89 mg, morphine equivalent) were also significant differences (p < 0.05). Conclusion: we found the duration of chronic low back pain before lumbar fusion surgery affects patient’ postoperative pain sensitivity, consumption of analgesic drugs and hospital stay. The longer the preoperative chronic pain lasts, the higher the postoperative VAS score is, the more analgesic drugs were consumed, and the longer hospital stay is.

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