Sex differences in measures of central sensitization and pain sensitivity to experimental sleep disruption: implications for sex differences in chronic pain

[摘要] Study ObjectivesFemales demonstrate heightened central sensitization (CS), a risk factor for chronic pain characterized by enhanced responsivity of central nervous system nociceptors to normal or subthreshold input. Sleep disruption increases pain sensitivity, but sex has rarely been evaluated as a moderator and few experiments have measured CS. We evaluated whether two nights of sleep disruption alter CS measures of secondary hyperalgesia and mechanical temporal summation in a sex-dependent manner. We also evaluated differences in measures of pain sensitivity.

[学科分类] 生理学

[关键词] sleep disruption;pain sensitivity;central sensitization;sex differences;temporal summation;secondary hyperalgesia;capsaicin;chronic pain;sex effects