Age-dependent decline of endogenous pain control: exploring the effect of expectation and depression
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Age-dependent decline of endogenous pain control: exploring the effect of expectation and depression. / Grashorn, Wiebke; Sprenger, Christian; Forkmann, Katarina; Wrobel, Nathalie; Bingel, Ulrike.
In: PLOS ONE, Vol. 8, No. 9, 01.01.2013, p. e75629.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Age-dependent decline of endogenous pain control: exploring the effect of expectation and depression
AU - Grashorn, Wiebke
AU - Sprenger, Christian
AU - Forkmann, Katarina
AU - Wrobel, Nathalie
AU - Bingel, Ulrike
PY - 2013/1/1
Y1 - 2013/1/1
N2 - Although chronic pain affects all age ranges, it is particularly common in the elderly. One potential explanation for the high prevalence of chronic pain in the older population is impaired functioning of the descending pain inhibitory system which can be studied in humans using conditioned pain modulation (CPM) paradigms. In this study we investigated (i) the influence of age on CPM and (ii) the role of expectations, depression and gender as potential modulating variables of an age-related change in CPM. 64 healthy volunteers of three different age groups (young = 20-40 years, middle-aged = 41-60 years, old = 61-80 years) were studied using a classical CPM paradigm that combined moderate heat pain stimuli to the right forearm as test stimuli (TS) and immersion of the contralateral foot into ice water as the conditioning stimulus (CS). The CPM response showed an age-dependent decline with strong CPM responses in young adults but no significant CPM responses in middle-aged and older adults. These age-related changes in CPM responses could not be explained by expectations of pain relief or depression. Furthermore, changes in CPM responses did not differ between men and women. Our results strongly support the notion of a genuine deterioration of descending pain inhibitory mechanisms with age.
AB - Although chronic pain affects all age ranges, it is particularly common in the elderly. One potential explanation for the high prevalence of chronic pain in the older population is impaired functioning of the descending pain inhibitory system which can be studied in humans using conditioned pain modulation (CPM) paradigms. In this study we investigated (i) the influence of age on CPM and (ii) the role of expectations, depression and gender as potential modulating variables of an age-related change in CPM. 64 healthy volunteers of three different age groups (young = 20-40 years, middle-aged = 41-60 years, old = 61-80 years) were studied using a classical CPM paradigm that combined moderate heat pain stimuli to the right forearm as test stimuli (TS) and immersion of the contralateral foot into ice water as the conditioning stimulus (CS). The CPM response showed an age-dependent decline with strong CPM responses in young adults but no significant CPM responses in middle-aged and older adults. These age-related changes in CPM responses could not be explained by expectations of pain relief or depression. Furthermore, changes in CPM responses did not differ between men and women. Our results strongly support the notion of a genuine deterioration of descending pain inhibitory mechanisms with age.
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0075629
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0075629
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 24086595
VL - 8
SP - e75629
JO - PLOS ONE
JF - PLOS ONE
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 9
ER -
