European journal of pain : EJP
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Conditioned pain modulation is not decreased after partial sleep restriction.
Sleep problems have been identified as a risk factor for several chronic pain conditions. Reduced sleep has been related to increased pain perception and it has been hypothesized that reduced pain inhibition may explain this. The aim of this study was to determine if sleep restriction (SR) affects heat pain perception and conditioned pain modulation (CPM). ⋯ The results indicate that SR leads to increased heat pain perception, but not reduced inhibitory CPM. This contradicts general assumptions on the relation between SR and the CPM effect.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Involvement of α2 -adrenoceptors in inhibitory and facilitatory pain modulation processes.
In healthy humans, high-frequency electrical stimulation (HFS) of the forearm not only produces hyperalgesia at the site of stimulation but also reduces sensitivity to pressure-pain on the ipsilateral side of the forehead. In addition, HFS augments the ipsilateral trigeminal nociceptive blink reflex and intensifies the ipsilateral component of conditioned pain modulation. The aim of this study was to determine whether α2-adrenoceptors mediate these ipsilateral nociceptive influences. ⋯ These findings imply involvement of α2-adrenoceptors both in ipsilateral antinociceptive and pronociceptive pain modulation processes. However, a mechanism not involving α2-adrenoceptors appears to mediate analgesia in the ipsilateral forehead after HFS.