title: Clinical pain and experimental pain sensitivity in progressive supranuclear palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to assess spinal nociception and experimental pain sensitivity in progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson's syndrome (PSP-R) compared to patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy controls (HC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Spinal nociception as measured by the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) and experimental pain sensitivity as measured by heat and electrical pain thresholds were determined in non-demented, non-depressed, probable PSP-R patients (N = 8), PD patients (N = 19) and 17 HC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PSP-R patients exhibited lower electrical pain thresholds and a tendency for lower NFR thresholds as compared to HC. No significant differences between PSP-R and PD patients were found with respect to experimentally-induced pain. However, significantly less PSP-R than PD patients reported disease-related pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Degeneration of the descending inhibitory control system within the brainstem in PSP-R might lead to increased experimental pain sensitivity while frontal cortical deterioration may alter self-estimation of pain.
authors: Department of Neurology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany. m.stamelou@ion.ucl.ac.uk
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Stamelou
authors: Helena
authors: H
authors: Dohmann
authors: Juliane
authors: J
authors: Brebermann
authors: Evangelia
authors: E
authors: Boura
authors: Wolfgang H
authors: WH
authors: Oertel
authors: Günter
authors: G
authors: Höglinger
authors: Jens C
authors: JC
authors: Möller
authors: Veit
authors: V
authors: Mylius
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D059225:Nociception / Q000502:physiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000503:physiopathology*