The Effect of Pain Catastrophizing on Endogenous Inhibition of Pain and Spinal Nociception in Native Americans: Results From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk. Issue 8 (19th February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Toledo, Tyler A; Kuhn, Bethany L; Payne, Michael F; Lannon, Edward W; Palit, Shreela; Sturycz, Cassandra A; Hellman, Natalie; Güereca, Yvette M; Demuth, Mara J; Huber, Felicitas; Shadlow, Joanna O; Rhudy, Jamie L
• Is Part Of: Annals of behavioral medicine. Volume 54:Issue 8(2020)
• Page Start: 575
• Page End: 594
• Publication Date: 2020-02-19
• Subjects: Pain modulation -- Racial/ethnic differences -- Coping -- Catastrophizing -- Chronic pain risk; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; Sick -- Psychology -- Periodicals; Behavioral Medicine; 616.0019
• DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaa004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0883-6612

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is a task that involves measuring pain in response to a test stimulus before and during a painful conditioning stimulus (CS). The CS pain typically inhibits pain elicited by the test stimulus; thus, this task is used to assess endogenous pain inhibition. Moreover, less efficient CPM-related inhibition is associated with chronic pain risk. Pain catastrophizing is a cognitive-emotional process associated with negative pain sequelae, and some studies have found that catastrophizing reduces CPM efficiency. Purpose: The current study examined the relationship between catastrophizing (dispositional and situation specific) and CPM-related inhibition of pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR; a marker of spinal nociception) to determine whether the catastrophizing–CPM relationship might contribute to the higher risk of chronic pain in Native Americans (NAs). Methods: CPM of pain and NFR was assessed in 124 NAs and 129 non-Hispanic Whites. Dispositional catastrophizing was assessed at the beginning of the test day, whereas situation-specific catastrophizing was assessed in response to the CS, as well as painful electric stimuli. Results: Situation-specific, but not dispositional, catastrophizing led to less NFR inhibition but more pain inhibition. These effects were not moderated by race, but mediation analyses found that: (a) the NA race was associated with greater situation-specific catastrophizing, which led to less NFR inhibition and more pain inhibition, and (b) situation-specific catastrophizing was associated with greater CS pain, which led to more pain inhibition. Conclusions: Catastrophizing may contribute to NA pain risk by disrupting descending inhibition. Abstract : Pain catastrophizing (rumination, magnification, and helplessness in the face of pain) may increase chronic pain risk in Native American by disrupting endogenous descending pain inhibitory processes