de Tommaso M, Ricci K, Montemurno A, Vecchio E
Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory System (SMBNOS), Neurophysiopathology of Pain Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
Eur J Pain. 2017 Jul;21(6):1087-1097. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1010. Epub 2017 Feb 16.
This study aimed to evaluate age-related changes in laser-evoked potential (LEP) features, including habituation, via trigeminal and hand stimulation in a large group of healthy volunteers.
We recorded the LEPs by right-hand stimulation in 237 healthy subjects and by stimulation of the right supraorbital zone in 170 cases. The subjects ranged in age from 7 to 72 years and were divided into six groups by age.
At the trigeminal level, the N2 and P2 latencies were significantly shorter and the N2-P2 amplitude was significantly larger in the 7-17 age group than in the other groups. The N2-P2 amplitude of the responses evoked by hand stimulation was significantly larger in the 7-40 age range than in the older subjects. The N1 amplitude and latency were not significantly different among the groups. The N2-P2 habituation increased with age, but no significant changes among groups were revealed by the Bonferroni test.
Trigeminal vertex LEPs have greater amplitudes and appear earlier in children, while a progressive age-related amplitude decrease characterizes the N2-P2 waves associated with hand stimulation. The N2-P2 habituation increases in older people. The N1 latency and amplitude seem to remain stable during ageing and are therefore potentially reliable and useful patterns for nociceptive system examination.
Standardization of age-related changes in trigeminal and hand LEPs is possible and should improve their reliability in the objective assessment of pain pathways.
本研究旨在通过对一大群健康志愿者进行三叉神经刺激和手部刺激，评估激光诱发电位（LEP）特征（包括习惯化）与年龄相关的变化。
我们对237名健康受试者进行右手刺激，对170名受试者进行右眶上区刺激，记录LEP。受试者年龄在7至72岁之间，按年龄分为六组。
在三叉神经水平，7 - 17岁年龄组的N2和P2潜伏期显著短于其他组，N2 - P2波幅显著大于其他组。手部刺激诱发反应的N2 - P2波幅在7 - 40岁年龄范围内显著大于老年受试者。各组间N1波幅和潜伏期无显著差异。N2 - P2习惯化随年龄增加，但经Bonferroni检验各组间无显著变化。
三叉神经顶点LEP在儿童中波幅更大且出现更早，而与手部刺激相关的N2 - P2波则呈现出与年龄相关的渐进性波幅降低。老年人的N2 - P2习惯化增加。N1潜伏期和波幅在衰老过程中似乎保持稳定，因此可能是用于伤害感受系统检查的可靠且有用的指标。
三叉神经和手部LEP与年龄相关变化的标准化是可行的，这应能提高它们在疼痛通路客观评估中的可靠性。
