Spinal and supraspinal correlates of nociception in man

Abstract

The objective of this work was to simultaneously measure pain-related spinal and supraspinal physiological responses in humans. The sural nerve compound action potential (CAP), the spinal withdrawal reflex (RIII), the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and subjective magnitude ratings were elicited by electrical stimulation of the sural nerve in 10 healthy subjects. The sural nerve CAP was used to normalize the evoking stimulus current and to help identify the peripheral nerve afferent types contributing to the physiological and psychophysical responses. Normalizing stimulus current to a proportion of that which elicited a just maximal sural nerve CAP significantly reduced individual variability in magnitude ratings, the RIII and the SEP. Pain and RIII responses only occurred at stimulus levels that were greater than or equal to 1.5 x that which produced a just maximal sural nerve CAP and both responses were positively related to stimulus intensity above that level. Activity in the large diameter A beta fibers will be saturated at stimulus levels near that which produced a just maximal CAP, which implies that both the pain and RIII responses can be attributed to recruitment of the smaller diameter A delta fibers. Although the amplitudes of the P200 and P300 peaks of the SEP were significantly related to stimulation at noxious levels, both were also affected by stimulation at innocuous levels. This result implies that these peaks receive contributions from both noxious and innocuous somatosensory processes. Clearly, the non-pain-related components of these SEP peaks must be identified and isolated before their potential in measuring supraspinal nociceptive processes can be fully realized.