Highlights
- •Threat engages endogenous top-down nociceptive circuitry.
- •Threat can amplify pain and spinal nociception.
- •Reflex receptive fields measure spinal nociception.
- •Threat enlarges reflex receptive fields.
Abstract
Threat-induced pain modulation can increase survival by amplifying physiological and
behavioral reactions toward danger. Threat can also modulate spinal nociception, suggesting
engagement of endogenous top-down circuitry. A unique method to assess spinal nociception
is via reflex receptive fields (RRF) associated with the nociceptive withdrawal reflex
(NWR, a protective spinally-mediated reflex). The size of nociceptive RRFs can be
modulated by top-down circuitry with the enlargement of RRFs related to increased
spinal nociception. Threat has been previously shown to enhance pain and spinal nociception,
but the relationship between threat and RRFs has not been investigated. The present
study investigated this issue in 25 healthy individuals. RRFs were determined from
NWRs measured by electromyography of the tibialis anterior following electrocutaneous
stimulations. RRFs and pain were assessed during periods in which participants were
under threat of unpredictable painful abdominal stimulations and when they were not
under threat. Results indicated that threat periods led to significantly higher pain,
larger nociceptive RRFs and NWR magnitudes. These findings imply that threat produces
changes in protective reflexes related to spinal nociceptive sensitivity and increased
pain perception. This is likely mediated by top-down circuitry that enhances dorsal
horn nociceptive neurons by enlarging RRFs and amplifying ascending pain signals.
Perspective
This article presents the enlargement of RRF during periods of threat. The results
from this study may help clarify the mechanism underlining emotional modulation of
spinal nociception.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 06, 2020
Accepted:
October 27,
2020
Received in revised form:
October 26,
2020
Received:
July 28,
2020
Footnotes
Manuscript was developed at The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK and the Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), SMI, Aalborg University, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
Disclosures: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate [grant number 1546597] and the Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW) Fellowship to E.L. Edward Lannon is a part of Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP) which is supported by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF121). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of The University of Tulsa, Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), or National Science Foundation. The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.
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© Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
