RESUMEN
Depression and anxiety co-occur with chronic pain, and all three are thought to be caused by dysregulation of shared brain systems related to emotional processing associated with body sensations. Understanding the connection between emotional states, pain, and bodily sensations may help understand chronic pain conditions. We developed a mobile platform for measuring pain, emotions, and associated bodily feelings in chronic pain patients in their daily life conditions. Sixty-five chronic back pain patients reported the intensity of their pain, 11 emotional states, and the corresponding body locations. These variables were used to predict pain 2 weeks later. Applying machine learning, we developed two predictive models of future pain, emphasizing interpretability. One model excluded pain-related features as predictors of future pain, and the other included pain-related predictors. The best predictors of future pain were interactive effects of (a) body maps of fatigue with negative affect and (b) positive affect with past pain. Our findings emphasize the contribution of emotions, especially emotional experience felt in the body, to understanding chronic pain above and beyond the mere tracking of pain levels. The results may contribute to the generation of a novel artificial intelligence framework to help in the development of better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to chronic pain.
Asunto(s)
Dolor de Espalda/diagnóstico , Tecnología Biomédica/tendencias , Dolor Crónico/diagnóstico , Emociones , Aprendizaje Automático/tendencias , Dimensión del Dolor/tendencias , Adulto , Anciano , Dolor de Espalda/psicología , Tecnología Biomédica/métodos , Dolor Crónico/psicología , Emociones/fisiología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Dimensión del Dolor/métodos , Dimensión del Dolor/psicología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Traditional moxibustion might be not safe due to the excessive heat stimulation or toxic chemical components involved. Electric moxibustion (EM), which has been recently developed as an alternative, offers adjustable and constant heat stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the psychophysical and psychophysiological responses to EM heat stimulation. METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy volunteers received two different levels of heat stimulation using EM. High-temperature (HT) and medium-temperature (MT) heat stimulations were randomly delivered at the TE5 acupoint on the left or right arm. Participants rated the intensity and the spatial information of the heat sensations immediately after each EM stimulation. Local blood flow around the acupoint was measured with Laser Doppler perfusion imaging before and after heat stimulation. RESULTS: Both HT-EM and MT-EM induced considerable heat sensations and enhanced local blood flow around the acupoints. HT-EM resulted in greater heat sensation compared to MT-EM. HT-EM induced a higher increase in local blood flow around the stimulation site compared to MT-EM. No remarkable adverse effects were noted. CONCLUSION: Two different levels of EM heat stimulation induced two different levels of heat sensations and enhanced local blood flow. This preliminary study suggests that the newly developed EM can be further applied to examine the effectiveness of moxibustion in clinical trials.