title: The impact of baroreflex function on endogenous pain control: a microneurography study.
abstract: The interaction between sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity to muscles [muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), burst frequency (BF) and burst incidence (BI)] and different stress and somatosensory stimuli is still unclear. Eighteen healthy men (median age 28 years) underwent microneurography recordings from the peroneal nerve. MSNA was recorded during heat pain (HP) and cold pain (CP) alone as well as combined with different stress tasks (mental arithmetic, singing, giving a speech). An additional nine healthy men (median age 26 years) underwent the stimulation protocol with an additional control task (thermal pain combined with listening to music) to evaluate possible attentional confounders. MSNA was significantly increased by CP and HP. CP-evoked responses were smaller. The diastolic blood pressure followed the time course of MSNA while heart rate remained unchanged. The mental stress tasks further increased MSNA and were sufficient to reduce pain while the control task had no effect. MSNA activity correlated negatively with pain intensity and positively with analgesia. High blood pressure values were associated with lower pain intensity. Our study indicates an impact of central sympathetic drive on pain and pain control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University, Klinikstraße 33, Giessen, 35392, Germany.
authors.forename: Gothje
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lautenschläger
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University, Klinikstraße 33, Giessen, 35392, Germany.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Habig
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Best
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University, Klinikstraße 33, Giessen, 35392, Germany.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaps
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy of Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elam
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Birklein
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University, Klinikstraße 33, Giessen, 35392, Germany.
authors.forename: Heidrun H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Krämer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D009146:Music; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D063346:Singing / Q000502:physiology; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: MSNA; mental stress tasks; stress-induced analgesia; thermal pain