Cognition, Pain, Acute
Conditions
Keywords
acute pain, cognition, pain, cognitive ability, young adults
Brief summary
The effects of pain on cognitive performance have not been thoroughly investigated. Broadly, the purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of acute pain on performance of a variety of cognitive performance measures. The investigators hypothesize that acute pain impairs cognitive performance, particularly cognitive measures of working memory, attention, and processing speed.
Interventions
PROCEDUREpain delivery with capsaicin and heat
Experimental pain paradigm delivered (capsaicin cream combined with heat) that is short-term and painful but not harmful
PROCEDUREdistractor delivery with sensory TENS
Distractor stimulus delivered (sensory TENS electrical stimulation) that is short-term and attention-demanding but not painful
Sponsors
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
University of Delaware
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Masking description
Application of pain or attentional control or no stimulus cannot be masked from participants, nor from outcomes assessors.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Abbreviations: HR= heart rate, bpm= beats per minute; BP= blood pressure; ADD= attention deficit disorder; ADHD= attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; MoCA= Montreal Cognitive Assessment; GAD-7= Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 Scale; PHQ-2, PHQ-9= Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and -9. Inclusion Criteria: 1. 18-35 years old 2. Self-identifying as generally medically healthy 3. Able to read, write and speak English 4. Able to provide informed consent 5. Willing to undergo the experimental pain or non-painful electrical stimulation, if selected
Exclusion criteria
1. Resting HR \< 50 or \> 100 bpm 2. Resting BP \< 90/60 or \> 140/95 mmHg 3. Any history or current mental health condition, learning/developmental disability or cognitive impairment, including ADD/ADHD, severe anxiety, severe depression, autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, mild cognitive impairment, etc. 4. Score on the MoCA \<23 5. Score on the GAD-7 ≥ 10 6. Score on the PHQ-2 ≥ 2 and score on the PHQ-9 ≥ 10 7. Any current (within last 3 month) or chronic medical conditions, including any musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, endocrine, pulmonary, metabolic, psychiatric or neurological diagnosis 8. Any implanted electronic medical devices (i.e., cardiac pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators, spinal cord neurostimulators) 9. Any impaired sensation or weakness in either lower extremity or in the area targeted for the stimulus 10. History of serious concussion or head injury, defined as a loss of consciousness for \> 5 minutes and/or requiring medical treatment, or \> 2 concussions over the lifespan 11. Any history of acute or chronic problems with balance, any dizziness, or \> 1 fall in the last 12 months 12. Taking 4 or more medications 13. Currently or regularly using any analgesic medications, over-the-counter remedies, or any other treatment for the purposes of pain relief (i.e., baby aspirin for heart health permitted, etc.) 14. Any current or chronic pain condition during the last year, located anywhere in the body 15. Allergy to capsaicin or hot peppers 16. Any skin lesion, breakage or irritation in the area targeted for the painful stimulus 17. Skin sensitivity to soaps/creams/perfumes or to heat 18. Poor circulation in the area targeted for the painful stimulus 19. Prior participation in a locomotor learning study in this lab within the last 2 years
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Digit Span Forward & Backward Test | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | number of digits (numbers) that can be repeated back in the same (DS forward) or the reverse (DS backward( order from which they were presented |
| Trail Making Test A & B | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | time required to draw a line connecting a series of numbers (TM-A) or a series of alternating letters and numbers (TM-B) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Conner's Continuous Performance Test (CPT) 3 | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | response time for letters vs. 'x' stimuli; number of correct inhibited responses |
| Hopkins Verbal Learning Test- Revised | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | verbal memory for 3 semantic categories of 4 nouns each; immediate and delayed recall |
| Brief Visuospatial Memory Test- Revised | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | visual memory for 6 shapes and their location on a page; immediate and delayed recall and recognition |
| Stroop Test | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | response time and number of errors when stating the name of words printed in a congruent, neutral or incongruent color compared to the meaning of the words |
| NIH Toolbox Picture Sequence | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | reproduce the correct sequence of pictures |
| Wisconsin Card Sorting Test | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | number of trials taken to deduce the new rule when the rules of a card game are changed without warning and without knowing what any of the rules are |
| NIH Toolbox List Sorting | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | recall and sequencing of different visually and orally presented stimuli |
| NIH Toolbox Dimension Change Card Sort | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | errors selecting the correct dimension upon which to select a card, a cue for which is provided |
| NIH Toolbox Pattern Comparison | the change between baseline and during application of intervention | errors and time required to determine whether several sets of two pictures are the same or not |
| Wechsler 4th ed - Spatial Addition | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | errors and time required to add or subtract the location of circles on a screen based on a given set of rules |
| NIH Toolbox Flanker | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | response time and errors when asked to focus on a single visual stimulus amongst distractors |
| Delis Kaplan Executive Functional System (D-KEFS) - Verbal Fluency Section | the change between baseline and delivery (during application of intervention) | number of words stated that match a certain category or start with a certain letter in a given time period |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed