BACKGROUND Many studies show an effectiveness of hypnotic analgesia. It has been discussed whether the analgesic effect is mainly caused by the relaxation that is concomitant to hypnosis. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of hypnotic relaxation suggestion on different somatosensory detection and pain thresholds. METHODS Quantitative sensory testing (QST) measurements were perfor...

Recent neuroanatomical and behavioral evidence has indicated that vasopressin (VA) increases pain threshold. The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is an important nucleus in pain modulation. Anatomical studies have shown that DRN receives vasopressinergic fibers originating in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of intra-DRN injection of de...

Background People often state that they are "sensitive" or "insensitive" to pain. However, the accuracy and clinical relevance of such statements is unclear. Objective The aim of this study was to search for associations between self-perception of sensitivity to pain and experimental pain measures, including known psychophysical inhibitory or excitatory pain paradigms. Subjects and methods ...