Scherder Erik J A, Eggermont Laura, Plooij Bart, Oudshoorn Jeroen, Vuijk Pieter Jelle, Pickering Gisèle, Lautenbacher Stefan, Achterberg Wilco, Oosterman Joukje
Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Gerontology. 2008;54(1):50-8. doi: 10.1159/000113216. Epub 2008 Jan 10.
Brain areas that are involved in cognition and mood also play a role in pain processing.
The goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between chronic pain and cognition [executive functions (EF) and memory], while controlling for mood, in cognitively intact older persons and in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Two groups of subjects participated: 20 older persons without dementia and 19 patients in an early stage of probable AD who suffered from arthrosis/arthritis. Pain intensity and pain affect were assessed by the Colored Analogue Scale for Pain Intensity and for Pain Affect, the Faces Pain Scale (FPS) and the Number of Words Chosen-Affective (NWC-A). Level of depression and anxiety were evaluated by questionnaires. EF and memory were assessed by neuropsychological tests.
The results show that significant correlations between specific cognitive functions, pain intensity and pain affect were lacking in the cognitively intact older persons. Cognition, in particular memory, appeared to be related to depressive symptoms. In contrast, a significant positive correlation was observed between EF, pain intensity and pain affect measured by the FPS in the AD group.
Although older persons with depression were excluded, in studies on pain and cognition one should control for the presence of depressive symptoms in older persons with and without dementia.
参与认知和情绪的脑区在疼痛处理中也发挥作用。
本研究的目的是在控制情绪的情况下，研究认知功能正常的老年人和阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者中慢性疼痛与认知[执行功能（EF）和记忆]之间的关系。
两组受试者参与研究：20名无痴呆的老年人和19名可能处于AD早期且患有骨关节炎/关节炎的患者。疼痛强度和疼痛情感通过疼痛强度彩色模拟量表、疼痛情感彩色模拟量表、面部疼痛量表（FPS）和选择词语数量-情感量表（NWC-A）进行评估。抑郁和焦虑水平通过问卷调查进行评估。EF和记忆通过神经心理学测试进行评估。
结果表明，认知功能正常的老年人中，特定认知功能、疼痛强度和疼痛情感之间缺乏显著相关性。认知，尤其是记忆，似乎与抑郁症状有关。相比之下，AD组中EF、疼痛强度和通过FPS测量的疼痛情感之间存在显著正相关。
尽管排除了患有抑郁症的老年人，但在疼痛与认知的研究中，对于有或无痴呆的老年人，都应控制抑郁症状的存在。
