Human pain bio-marker
A human pain bio-marker includes activation of a specific tissue using a specific stimulus modality and assessing a specific response in a quantitative way. This assessment can utilise psychophysical, electrophysiological, brain imaging techniques, autonomic, or biochemical methods.
Tissues:
Skin, mucosa, teeth, muscles, ligaments, periost, joints, vertebra, viscera.
Stimulation modalities:
Electrical, mechanical, thermal, chemical.
Applications:
Single phasic stimulus, repeated phasic stimuli, tonic stimulus.
Assessments:
Psychophysical (thresholds, ratings, areas, stimulus-response functions), autonomic (skin resistance, heart rate, temperature, blood flow), electrophysiological (reflexes, evoked cortical responses, EEG) or brain responses.
Bio-chemical analysis:
Blood, urine, and synovial fluid. Microdialysis and perfusion with algogenic substances.