Pain-related motor adaptations may be enacted predictively at the mere threat of pain, before pain occurrence. Yet, in humans, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying motor adaptations in anticipation of pain remain poorly understood. We tracked the evolution of changes in corticospinal excitability (CSE) as healthy adults learned to anticipate the occurrence of lateralized, muscle-specific pain to the upper limb. Using a Pavlovian threat conditioning task, different visual stimuli predicted pain to the right or left forearm (experiment 1) or hand (experiment 2). During stimuli presentation before pain occurrence, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied over the left primary motor cortex to probe CSE and elicit motor evoked potentials from target right forearm and hand muscles. The correlation between participants’ trait anxiety and CSE was also assessed. Results showed that threat of pain triggered corticospinal inhibition specifically in the limb where pain was expected. In addition, corticospinal inhibition was modulated relative to the threatened muscle, with threat of pain to the forearm inhibiting the forearm and hand muscles, whereas threat of pain to the hand inhibited the hand muscle only. Finally, stronger corticospinal inhibition correlated with greater trait anxiety. These results advance the mechanistic understanding of pain processes showing that pain-related motor adaptations are enacted at the mere threat of pain, as sets of anticipatory, topographically organized motor changes that are associated with the expected pain and are shaped by individual anxiety levels. Including such anticipatory motor changes into models of pain may lead to new treatments for pain-related disorders.
Betti, S., Badioli, M., Dalbagno, D., Garofalo, S., di Pellegrino, G., Starita, F. (2024). Topographically selective motor inhibition under threat of pain. PAIN, 165(12), 2851-2862 [10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003301].
Topographically selective motor inhibition under threat of pain
Betti, Sonia;Badioli, Marco;Dalbagno, Daniela;Garofalo, Sara;di Pellegrino, Giuseppe;Starita, Francesca
2024
Abstract
Pain-related motor adaptations may be enacted predictively at the mere threat of pain, before pain occurrence. Yet, in humans, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying motor adaptations in anticipation of pain remain poorly understood. We tracked the evolution of changes in corticospinal excitability (CSE) as healthy adults learned to anticipate the occurrence of lateralized, muscle-specific pain to the upper limb. Using a Pavlovian threat conditioning task, different visual stimuli predicted pain to the right or left forearm (experiment 1) or hand (experiment 2). During stimuli presentation before pain occurrence, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied over the left primary motor cortex to probe CSE and elicit motor evoked potentials from target right forearm and hand muscles. The correlation between participants’ trait anxiety and CSE was also assessed. Results showed that threat of pain triggered corticospinal inhibition specifically in the limb where pain was expected. In addition, corticospinal inhibition was modulated relative to the threatened muscle, with threat of pain to the forearm inhibiting the forearm and hand muscles, whereas threat of pain to the hand inhibited the hand muscle only. Finally, stronger corticospinal inhibition correlated with greater trait anxiety. These results advance the mechanistic understanding of pain processes showing that pain-related motor adaptations are enacted at the mere threat of pain, as sets of anticipatory, topographically organized motor changes that are associated with the expected pain and are shaped by individual anxiety levels. Including such anticipatory motor changes into models of pain may lead to new treatments for pain-related disorders.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
Betti et al 2024.pdf
accesso aperto
Tipo:
Versione (PDF) editoriale
Licenza:
Licenza per Accesso Aperto. Creative Commons Attribuzione (CCBY)
Dimensione
582.23 kB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
582.23 kB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
pain_2024_05_18_starita_1_sdc1.pdf
accesso aperto
Tipo:
File Supplementare
Licenza:
Licenza per Accesso Aperto. Creative Commons Attribuzione (CCBY)
Dimensione
242.91 kB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
242.91 kB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.