title: The Effects of Cold Pressor-Induced Pain on PASAT Performance.
abstract: Although clinicians have frequently observed that patients with chronic pain experience cognitive deficits related to memory and concentration, research on these deficits is equivocal, with some studies showing significant impairment and others suggesting minimal deficits. As such, the present study sought to examine the relationship between laboratory-induced pain and performance on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) using a mixed factorial design. Seventy-two nonclinical volunteers were randomly assigned to a pain group, who took the PASAT while experiencing cold pressor-induced pain, or a control group, who took the PASAT while experiencing painless room-temperature water immersion. To account for practice effects, all participants were administered 1 practice trial and 3 standard trials of the PASAT, with the final trial administered in cold pressor-induced pain or painless water immersion. The results revealed a significant interaction between condition and PASAT performance, F(1, 64) = 23.63, p < .001, partial η(2) = .27. The control group increased performance by 6 items while the pain group showed no such improvement. The results suggest that because the pain group did not demonstrate the same practice effects relative to the control group, their performance was impaired by cold pressor-induced pain. However, the impairment was relatively mild (about 0.5 standard deviation) and did not occur in all participants.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , The University of Rhode Island , Kingston , Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Tapscott
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Etherton
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: PASAT; assessment; chronic pain