Pain measurements in right-left cerebral lesions.
Left- and right-brain damaged (BD) subjects were examined to ascertain whether psychophysical parameters of pain-pain threshold (P), tolerance threshold (T), and pain endurance (E)-were modified by brain damage and whether differences exist between LBD and RBD. Noxious stimulus was provided by electrical stimulation. Results showed that P and T scores for the paralysed arms were consistently higher than those of the contralateral side. This was not simply due to modified sensitivity alone; in the RBD group hemi-inattention and aphasia in the LBD group also played a role. A significantly hightened value of pain endurance was found only in the healthy arm in the RBD group.
D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm / Q000503:physiopathology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*