Lang-Illievich Kordula, Klivinyi Christoph, Ranftl Julia, Elhelali Ala, Hammer Sascha, Szilagyi Istvan S, Bornemann-Cimenti Helmar
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, State Hospital Güssing, Güssing, Austria.
Pain Ther. 2024 Oct;13(5):1287-1298. doi: 10.1007/s40122-024-00642-1. Epub 2024 Aug 5.
Chronic pain is a public health issue, leading to substantial healthcare costs and diminished quality of life for sufferers. While the role of anxiety in pain modulation has been extensively studied, the effects of other emotional states on the body's pain control mechanisms remain less understood. This study sought to explore how different emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, and interest) affect conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and the wind-up phenomenon in healthy adults.
This randomized controlled, cross-over trial involved 28 healthy participants aged 18-60. Participants watched video clips designed to induce specific emotions: happiness, anger, sadness, and interest. Emotional states were assessed using a 7-point Likert scale. Pain modulation was measured using CPM and the wind-up phenomenon. CPM was assessed with a hot water bath as the conditioning stimulus and pressure pain tolerance as the test stimulus. Wind-up was measured using pinprick needle stimulators and a visual analog scale. Data were analyzed using paired t tests to compare pre- and post-emotion induction values.
Significant changes in emotional self-assessment values were observed for all emotions. Happiness increased CPM (4.6 ± 11.4, p = 0.04277), while sadness - 9.9 ± 23.1, p = 0.03211) and anger - 9.1 ± 23.3, p = 0.04804) decreased it. Interest did not significantly alter CPM (- 5.1 ± 25.8, p = 0.31042). No significant effects were found for the wind-up phenomenon across any emotional states.
This study shows that emotional states significantly affect the body's ability to modulate pain. Positive emotions like happiness enhance pain inhibition, while negative emotions such as sadness and anger impair it. These findings suggest that emotional modulation techniques could be integrated into pain management strategies to improve patient outcomes. Further research should explore a broader range of emotions and include objective measures to validate these results.
慢性疼痛是一个公共卫生问题，会导致高昂的医疗成本，并降低患者的生活质量。虽然焦虑在疼痛调节中的作用已得到广泛研究，但其他情绪状态对身体疼痛控制机制的影响仍了解较少。本研究旨在探讨不同情绪（快乐、愤怒、悲伤和兴趣）如何影响健康成年人的条件性疼痛调制（CPM）和wind-up现象。
这项随机对照交叉试验纳入了28名年龄在18至60岁之间的健康参与者。参与者观看旨在诱发特定情绪的视频片段：快乐、愤怒、悲伤和兴趣。使用7点李克特量表评估情绪状态。使用CPM和wind-up现象测量疼痛调制。CPM通过以热水浴作为条件刺激，压力疼痛耐受性作为测试刺激来评估。使用针刺刺激器和视觉测量wind-up。使用配对t检验分析数据，以比较情绪诱导前后的值。
所有情绪的情绪自我评估值均有显著变化。快乐增加了CPM（4.6±11.4，p=0.04277），而悲伤（-9.9±23.1，p=0.03211）和愤怒（-9.1±23.3，p=0.04804）则降低了CPM。兴趣对CPM没有显著影响（-5.1±25.8，p=0.31042）。在任何情绪状态下，wind-up现象均未发现显著影响。
本研究表明，情绪状态会显著影响身体调节疼痛的能力。快乐等积极情绪增强疼痛抑制，而悲伤和愤怒等消极情绪则损害疼痛抑制。这些发现表明，情绪调节技术可纳入疼痛管理策略以改善患者预后。进一步的研究应探索更广泛的情绪，并纳入客观测量方法以验证这些结果。
