OBJECTIVE Women with a menstrually related mood disorder (MRMD) have substantially higher rates of physical and sexual abuse and are more sensitive to experimental pain stimuli than women without a MRMD. For the first time, this study examined pain sensitivity and hormonal correlates in women with a MRMD and in non-MRMD controls as a function of abuse history. METHODS A total of 126 women (63...

The response of the intra-arterial pressure to the cold immersion stimulus was studied in 42 healthy young adults, continuous direct (arterial-pressure) recording being used. The average systolic elevation was 22.6 mm. Hg and the average diastolic elevation was 16.3 mm. Hg. The difference between direct and indirect methods of measuring blood pressure was studied in 351 simultaneous determinati...

It has previously been suggested that the activity in sensory regions of the brain can be modulated by attentional mechanisms during parallel cognitive processing. To investigate whether such attention-related modulations are present in the processing of pain, the regional cerebral blood ̄ow was measured using [O]butanol and positron emission tomography in conditions involving both pain and par...

A number of studies have demonstrated that short-term meditation intervention can lead to greater tolerance and lower pain or distress ratings of experimentally induced pain. However, few attempts have been made to examine the effects of short-term mindfulness-based intervention on the tolerance and distress of pain, when delivered in a therapist-free form. The present research explored the eff...

Social support is associated with reduced pain experience across several domains (Cogan & Spinnato, 1988; Kulik & Mahler, 1989; Zaza & Baine, 2002); intriguingly, a handful of experimental studies suggest that this connection may reflect a causal relationship. Participants who received interactive support during a cold pressor task reported less pain than participants who completed the task alo...

The placebo effect is an interesting phenomenon whereby a dummy treatment can produce therapeutic benefit, such as, pain relief. While evidence for the placebo effect is growing, relatively few studies have explored ways of enhancing placebo effects. To address this, the current study tested whether placebo-induced analgesia could be enhanced by providing an educational handout about the effica...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to characterize the cortical source generators evoked by experimental tonic pain. METHODS Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded on two separate days during rest and with immersion of the hand in ice water for 2 minutes (cold pressor test). Exact low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography source localization was performed in 31 healthy volunt...

DOES EMPATHY PROMOTE EMOTION REGULATION IN THE CONTEXT OF PAIN?AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION byLAURA E. M. LEONGAUGUST 2013Advisor: Dr. Annmarie Cano Major: Psychology (Clinical)Degree: Doctor of PhilosophyThe purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a perspective-taking instruction would promote empathic behaviors in couples, resulting in bette...