Baseline Brain Activity Predicts Response to Neuromodulatory Pain Treatment

Overview

Journal Pain Med

Specialties Critical Care
Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2014 Oct 8

PMID 25287554

Citations 10

Authors

Mark P Jensen

Leslie H Sherlin

Felipe Fregni

Ann Gianas

Jon D Howe

Shahin Hakimian

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the associations between baseline electroencephalogram (EEG)-assessed brain oscillations and subsequent response to four neuromodulatory treatments. Based on available research, we hypothesized that baseline theta oscillations would prospectively predict response to hypnotic analgesia. Analyses involving other oscillations and the other treatments (meditation, neurofeedback, and both active and sham transcranial direct current stimulation) were viewed as exploratory, given the lack of previous research examining brain oscillations as predictors of response to these other treatments.

Design: Randomized controlled study of single sessions of four neuromodulatory pain treatments and a control procedure.

Methods: Thirty individuals with spinal cord injury and chronic pain had their EEG recorded before each session of four active treatments (hypnosis, meditation, EEG biofeedback, transcranial direct current stimulation) and a control procedure (sham transcranial direct stimulation).

Results: As hypothesized, more presession theta power was associated with greater response to hypnotic analgesia. In exploratory analyses, we found that less baseline alpha power predicted pain reduction with meditation.

Conclusions: The findings support the idea that different patients respond to different pain treatments and that between-person treatment response differences are related to brain states as measured by EEG. The results have implications for the possibility of enhancing pain treatment response by either 1) better patient/treatment matching or 2) influencing brain activity before treatment is initiated in order to prepare patients to respond. Research is needed to replicate and confirm the findings in additional samples of individuals with chronic pain.

Citing Articles

Advances and challenges in neuroimaging-based pain biomarkers.

Zhang L, Chen Y, Li Z, Geng X, Zhao X, Zhang F Cell Rep Med. 2024; 5(10):101784.

PMID: 39383872 PMC: 11513815. DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101784.

The Role of Electroencephalogram-Assessed Bandwidth Power in Response to Hypnotic Analgesia.

Jensen M, Barrett T Brain Sci. 2024; 14(6).

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Does brain entrainment using binaural auditory beats affect pain perception in acute and chronic pain?: a systematic review.

Shamsi F, Azadinia F, Shaygan M BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024; 24(1):34.

PMID: 38216943 PMC: 10785528. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04339-y.

Increased Delta and Theta Power Density in Sickle Cell Disease Individuals with Chronic Pain Secondary to Hip Osteonecrosis: A Resting-State Eeg Study.

Lopes T, Santana J, Silva W, Fraga F, Montoya P, Sa K Brain Topogr. 2023; 37(5):859-873.

PMID: 38060074 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-01027-x.

Who Benefits the Most From Different Psychological Chronic Pain Treatments? An Exploratory Analysis of Treatment Moderators.

Jensen M, Ehde D, Hakimian S, Pettet M, Day M, Ciol M J Pain. 2023; 24(11):2024-2039.

PMID: 37353183 PMC: 10615716. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.06.011.

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