Measurement of multiple physiological responses and their multivariate analyses for the quantitative evaluation of pain

本研究的目的是开发一种客观的疼痛监测仪，可用于骨科治疗等。首先在正常受试者上进行基础实验，大致研究疼痛与受试者各种生理反应之间的关系。制作了3台专用设备进行试验，分别对正常人前臂进行鞭击、对手臂关节进行击打、对前臂进行电刺激，使其产生疼痛。在施加疼痛过程中，同时测量并记录心电图、脉搏率、脑电图、呼吸、GSR、肌电图和体温等生理反应。到目前为止的研究结果如下：(1)不同的镇痛方法没有根本的区别。(2)心电波形未见明显变化。(3)肌电图显示了局部肌肉对疼痛刺激的反应。(4) GSR响应最大。然而，除了他们的注意力或精神状况外，他们还取决于个人。(5)对心脏脉搏率的影响也因人而异。然而，它有时比GSR更能反映疼痛。(6)痛觉刺激后脑电图有增强α波的趋势。(7)无法检测到疼痛刺激对体温的快速反应。对这些生理反应的多变量分析使相互关系更加清晰。综上所述，由于个体差异和复杂的环境依赖，疼痛程度不能通过单一的生理反应来评估，而应通过多种生理反应的多变量分析来评估。

The goal of this study is to develop an objective pain monitor, which can be used during treatments in orthopaedics, etc. As the first step, basic experiments were made on normal subjects in order to study generally the relations between the pain and various physiological reponses of the subject. Three special equipments were made for trial, which could give normal subjects pains due to whip on fore arm, hit on arm joint, and electrical stimulation on forearm. The physiological responses, including ECG, puls rate, EEG, respiration, GSR, EMG, and body temperature, were simultaneously measured and recorded during the application of pain.The results up to now are the followings : (1) No fundamental difference can be seen among the methods of giving pain. (2) No change can be observed on the ECG wave forms. (3) The responses to the pain stimulation are revealed on EMG from certain limited muscles. (4) GSR shows the biggest responses. However, they also depend on individuals besides their attentions or mental conditions. (5) The influence on the cardiac pulse rate also depends on individuals. However, it sometimes reflects the pain better than GSR.(6) EEG shows a tendency to augment alpha wave after the painstimulation. (7) Quick response on body temperature by the pain stimulation can not be deteced.Multivariate analyses of these physiological responses are making the mutual relations clear. Inconclusion, because of the individual difference and very complicated circumstance dependency, the degree of the pain can not be evaluated by a single physiological response, but by multivariate analyses of several physiological responses.