EVOKED POTENTIAL STUDIES OF PAIN

体感诱发电位（SEP）峰值振幅已被证明， 当伤害性刺激的水平是 各种各样。SEP峰值振幅的操作条件性变化已被证明 产生疼痛敏感性的显着变化。因此，SEP持有 提供一种非侵入性测量手段的前景相当可观， 控制人类疼痛相关的生理过程。以前的研究 在这两个领域，都受到了多个组成部分性质的阻碍， SEP峰值。非疼痛相关神经元产生的成分可以掩盖 疼痛相关神经元产生的信号， SEP峰值和疼痛过程之间的联系 拟议的工作将调查SEP之间的关系， 疼痛过程中使用的程序，将更好地分离和识别 SEP峰下的不同组分。第一，冷漠 将确定参比电极位置，以最大限度地减少污染， 从参考站点记录的组件。第二，定量硬头皮 地形图分析，疼痛相关SEP研究中的第一个， 将确定时间和空间（每个头皮位置处的幅度 和模式）特征的SEP，最好与感知 等级和有毒和无害水平的变化 传入输入第三，SEP的P180峰将被可操作地 条件和其对疼痛敏感性的影响进行了研究。对照组 将评估疼痛敏感性的变化是否是由于非特异性 心理因素，例如，期望、关注等等，或特异性 SEP的条件变化。SEP头皮地形图将 分析以确定SEP的空间和时间特征是否最佳 在条件反射期间观察到的与疼痛敏感性相关的 这些是在不同传入输入的实验中确定的。

Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) peak amplitude has been shown to correlate with pain sensation when the level of noxious stimulation is varied. Operantly conditioned changes in SEP peak amplitude have been shown to produce significant changes in pain sensitivity. Thus, the SEP holds considerable promise for providing a non-invasive means of measuring and controlling pain-related physiological processes in man. Previous research in both these areas has been hampered by the multiple component nature of the SEP peaks. Components generated by non-pain-related neurons can mask those generated by pain-related neurons and obscure the relationship between the SEP peak and pain processes. The proposed work will investigate the relationship between the SEP and pain processes using procedures that will better separate and identify the different components underlying the SEP peaks. First, an indifferent reference electrode site will be determined to minimize contamination by components recorded from the reference site. Second, a quantitative scalp topographic analysis, the first of its kind in pain-related SEP studies, will determine the temporal and spatial (amplitude at each scalp location and pattern) features of the SEP that best correlate with perceived magnitude ratings and changes in the level of noxious and innocuous afferent input. Third, the P180 peak of the SEP will be operantly conditioned and its effect on pain sensitivity investigated. Control groups will evaluate whether the change in pain sensitivity is due to non-specific psychological factors, e.g., expectation, attention, etc., or is specific to conditioned changes in the SEP. The SEP scalp topography will be analyzed to determine whether spatial and temporal features of the SEP best related to pain sensitivity observed during conditioning are similar to those determined in the experiments that varied afferent input.