Pain-related evoked potential in healthy adults.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the normal data of pain-related evoked potentials (PREP) elicited with a concentric surface electrode among normal, healthy adults and the relationship between PREP and pain intensity.


METHODS
Sixty healthy volunteers (22 men and 38 women; aged 36.4±10.7 years; height, 165.4±7.8 cm) were enrolled. Routine nerve conduction study (NCS) was done to measure PREP following electrical stimulation of hands (C7 dermatome) and feet (L5 dermatome). Negative peak (N), positive peak (P) latencies, peak to peak (NP) amplitudes, conduction velocity (CV), and verbal rating scale (VRS) score were obtained. Linear regression analysis tested for significant relevance between variables of PREP and VRS score.


RESULTS
Normal NCS results were obtained in all subjects. N latency of hand PREP was 163.8 ±40.0 ms (right) and 161.0±39.9 ms (left). N latency of foot PREP was 178.0±43.9 ms (right), 180.4±43.4 ms (left). NP amplitude of hands was 20.6±10.6 µV (right) and 21.9±11.6 µV (left). NP amplitude of feet was 18.8±8.3 µV (right) and 19.0±8.4 µV (left). The calculated CV was 13.2±4.7 m/s and VRS score was 3.8±1.0. A highly significant positive correlation was evident between VRS score and NP amplitude (y=0.1069x+1.781, r=0.877, n=60, p<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
PREP among normal, healthy adults revealed a statistically significant correlation between PREP amplitude and VRS score.
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Kyung Joon
KJ
Oh
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Sung Hoon
SH
Kim
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Young-Hee
YH
Lee
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Jong Heon
JH
Kim
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Hong Sun
HS
Jung
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Tae Jun
TJ
Park
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Jin
J
Park
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Jong Mock
JM
Shinn
Electrodes; Evoked potentials; Nociceptive pain; Pain measurement