title: Pain sensitivity in chronic psychoemotional stress in humans.
abstract: Results were obtained from comparative studies of skin pain sensitivity (pain thresholds) using focused ultrasound in 51 healthy men and 101 patients with neurasthenia. Neurasthenia is a natural "model" of chronic psychoemotional stress, and patients showed a reduction in the pain threshold which was not accompanied by a reduction in the threshold of sensitivity to tactile stimulation. A reduction in the pain threshold, reflecting a weakening of central descending tonic inhibition, was probably due to a reduction in the activity of the brain's opioid system during long-term psychoemotional stress. Analysis of the relationships between the pain sensitivity threshold and pain syndromes suggests a role for changes in the nociception system in chronic psychoemotional stress, as part of the mechanism of pain formation.
authors.affiliation: Neurosis Laboratory, Applied Mathematics Group, I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.
authors.lastname: Ashkinazi IYa
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Vershinina
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009440:Neurasthenia / Q000523:psychology; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology