Who is pain sensitive? Brain waves tell you
Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, August 10 (intern reporter Lu Zijian) Recently, scientists from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and the University of Maryland in the United States jointly published research results saying that alpha waves, a particularly common pattern of brain activity, are related to the body’s sensitivity to pain or Resilience has a lot to do with it.
Alpha wave is one of the continuous electric wave activities in the brain. For most people, the oscillation frequency of the alpha wave is between 8 and 14 Hz, and the peak frequency varies from person to person. The research team has done research before and found that people with higher frequency of the alpha wave are more resilient to pain, while people with lower frequency are more susceptible to pain.
In this experiment, the research team hopes to find out whether it is possible to predict their response to pain by measuring the subjects' alpha waves before the pain test.
The researchers selected 61 healthy subjects between the ages of 21 and 42, first measured the alpha wave of each subject with EEG, and then carried out the experiment in two steps: first, the cream containing capsaicin It was applied to the subject’s skin to make it sensitive, and then the sensitive skin formed by applying the capsaicin cream was repeatedly heated. After 8 weeks, the experiment was repeated on the subjects.
The results show that measuring alpha waves can indeed reliably indicate a person’s sensitivity to pain or resilience. These results were confirmed in the preliminary assessment and the 8-week return visit.
Dr. David Sminowitz of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry said that it is important to understand the patient’s pain sensitivity when deciding whether to perform an elective surgery or develop a postoperative rehabilitation plan. Methods such as painkillers or mindfulness meditation can also be used before surgery to minimize the patient's pain.
Dr. Ali Mazaheli of the University of Birmingham said that severe pain after surgery is usually a good indicator of whether a patient develops chronic pain, and understanding the likelihood of a person experiencing these symptoms will help clinicians and patients better determine The best treatment plan.