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，它可以在骨科等治疗过程中使用。作为第一步，对正常受试者进行基础实验，以研究疼痛与受试者各种生理反应之间的关系。制作了三种特殊的实验装置，分别对正常人进行前臂鞭打、手臂关节击打和前臂电刺激的疼痛实验。本研究在给痛过程中同步测量和记录了心电图、普尔斯率、脑电图、呼吸、GSR、肌电图和体温等生理反应，结果表明：（1）不同的给痛方法之间没有根本性的差异; (2)ECG波形未观察到变化。(3)对疼痛刺激的反应显示在来自某些有限肌肉的EMG上。(4)枪击残留物反应最大。然而，除了注意力或精神状态之外，他们还依赖于个人。(5)对心脏脉搏率的影响也取决于个人。然而，它有时比GSR更能反映疼痛。(6)脑电图在疼痛刺激后有α波增大的趋势。(7)对这些生理反应的多变量分析正使这些生理反应之间的相互关系更加清晰。总之，由于个体差异和复杂的环境依赖性，疼痛的程度不能用单一的生理反应来评价，而需要对多种生理反应进行多因素分析。

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.