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器，用于骨科等领域的治疗。首先，在正常受试者上进行基础实验，以全面研究受试者疼痛与各种生理反应之间的关系。研制了前臂鞭击、手臂关节撞击、前臂电刺激等三种可使正常受试者产生疼痛的特制实验装置。在应用疼痛的过程中，同时测量和记录生理反应，包括心电图、脉率、脑电、呼吸、GSR、EMG和体温。目前为止，结果如下：(1)不同的疼痛方法没有根本的区别。(2)心电图波形无明显变化。(3)有限肌肉对疼痛刺激的反应在肌电图上表现出来。(4)GSR反应最大。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)对心率的影响也因个体而异。但有时它比GSR更能反映疼痛。(6)疼痛刺激后EEG有增大α波的趋势。(7)不能检测到疼痛刺激对体温的快速反应，对这些生理反应的多元分析表明了它们之间的相互关系。综上所述，由于个体差异和非常复杂的环境依赖性，疼痛的程度不能用单一的生理反应来评估，而是要通过多个生理反应的多因素分析来评估。

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.