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Psychological mechanisms of offset analgesia: The effect of expectancy manipulation

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  • Tibor M Szikszay
  • Waclaw M Adamczyk
  • Janina Panskus
  • Lotte Heimes
  • Carolin David
  • Philip Gouverneur
  • Kerstin Luedtke

Abstract

A frequently used paradigm to quantify endogenous pain modulation is offset analgesia, which is defined as a disproportionate large reduction in pain following a small decrease in a heat stimulus. The aim of this study was to determine whether suggestion influences the magnitude of offset analgesia in healthy participants. A total of 97 participants were randomized into three groups (hypoalgesic group, hyperalgesic group, control group). All participants received four heat stimuli (two constant trials and two offset trials) to the ventral, non-dominant forearm while they were asked to rate their perceived pain using a computerized visual analogue scale. In addition, electrodermal activity was measured during each heat stimulus. Participants in both intervention groups were given a visual and verbal suggestion about the expected pain response in an hypoalgesic and hyperalgesic manner. The control group received no suggestion. In all groups, significant offset analgesia was provoked, indicated by reduced pain ratings (p 0.05). The results of this study indicate that suggestion can be effective to reduce but not increase endogenous pain modulation quantified by offset analgesia in healthy participants.

Suggested Citation

  • Tibor M Szikszay & Waclaw M Adamczyk & Janina Panskus & Lotte Heimes & Carolin David & Philip Gouverneur & Kerstin Luedtke, 2023. "Psychological mechanisms of offset analgesia: The effect of expectancy manipulation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(1), pages 1-16, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0280579
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280579
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