title: Dissociation between pain and the nociceptive blink reflex during psychological arousal.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of psychological arousal on pain ratings and the R2 component of the electrically evoked blink reflex to a 'pure' noiciceptive stimulus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pain ratings and R2 to a noiciceptive stimulus (pulse width 0.3ms, 2mA, delivered from a concentric electrode attached to the supraorbital region of the forehead) were investigated in 16 healthy participants before and during a serial subtraction task, and in 16 control participants who sat quietly during nociceptive stimulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pain ratings decreased whereas R2 amplitude increased during the serial subtraction task.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supra-spinal rather than spinal mechanisms inhibited pain perception during psychological arousal. Moreover, psychological arousal facilitated the R2 component of the blink reflex to a nociception-specific stimulus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supra-spinal influences need to be considered during clinical evaluation of the trigeminal nociceptive blink reflex.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Perth, WA 6150, Australia.
authors.forename: Chee Wan
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Drummond
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000502:physiology