The effect of acute pain on executive function
Journal Title: Journal of Clinical and Translational Research - Year 2018, Vol 4, Issue 2
Abstract
Background and Aim: Executive functions are high-level cognitive processes that allow a person to successfully engage in an independent and self-fulfilling life. Previous literature indicates that chronic pain can affect executive function, but there are limited studies that investigate the effect of acute pain on executive function. The purpose of this study was to determine if acute pain affects executive function in recreationally active individuals who sustained a musculoskeletal injury. Methods: Twenty-four recreationally active participants who presented with acute pain following a musculoskeletal injury underwent a neuropsychological battery within 72 hours of injury. Follow up testing occurred within two weeks from the initial testing session when participants were pain free. Pain intensity was measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The neuropsychological battery consisted of the following tests: Digit Span (DS), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and Trail Making Test B (TMT-B). The DS was broken into two separate scores, the RAVLT four scores, and TMT-B one score. Seven paired samples t-tests were conducted using an adjusted alpha level of 0.007. Results: Participants had significantly improved scores when pain free in DS forwards (p < 0.007) and TMT-B (p < 0.007). No significant difference was observed for the DS backward (p = 0.023), RAVLT A1 (p = 0.563), RAVLT sum A1 to A5 (p = 0.953), RAVLT A6 (p = 1.0), RAVLT recognition list A (p = 0.009). These results suggest that immediate recall and complex attention may be diminished in individuals who experience acute pain due to a musculoskeletal injury. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest acute pain from musculoskeletal injuries may disrupt executive function. Relevance for patients: Patients should be aware that there may be cognitive changes after a musculoskeletal injury. Knowing which cognitive domains may be impaired during acute pain could impact clinical practice and further benefit patients suffering from pain and its associated symptoms.
Authors and Affiliations
Jenna Morogiello, Nicholas G. Murray, Tamerah N. Hunt, Brandonn S. Harris, Brian J. Szekely, George W. Shaver
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP678750
- DOI -
- Views 234
- Downloads 0
How the vagus nerve produces beat-to-beat heart rate variability; experiments in rabbits to mimic in vivo vagal patterns
Background and Aim: Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) has recently become the playing field of mathematicians and physicists, losing its relation to physiology and the clinic. To set the record straight, a set of...
Acellular porcine heart matrices: whole organ decellularization with 3D-bioscaffold & vascular preservation
Regenerative medicine, particularly decellularization-recellularization methods via whole-organ tissue engineering, has been increasingly studied due to the growing donor organ shortage. Though numerous decellularization...
Salivary nitrite content, cognition and power in Mixed Martial Arts fighters after rapid weight loss: a case study
Background and Aim: Rapid weight loss (RWL) is extensively practiced by combat sports athletes, including Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), but its effects on performance are not well established with different magnitudes of RWL...
Assessment of the Wii Basic Balance Test in measuring postural deficits post-concussion
Background and Aim: To evaluate the Wii Basic Balance Test (WBBT), as a tool for detecting postural instability in athletes with concussions. Methods: Seventy-nine healthy physically active controls (NORM) (mean age 21...
Antibacterial photodynamic therapy: overview of a promising approach to fight antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections
Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (APDT) has drawn increasing attention from the scientific society for its potential to effectively kill multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria and for its low tendency to induce drug r...