(Press-News.org) Contact information: Terry Materese
painmedia@elsevier.com
215-239-3196
Elsevier Health Sciences
Congenital blindness results in lower thermal pain thresholds
Absence of vision from birth leads to a permanent state of pain hypersensitivity, reports PAIN®
	Philadelphia, November 1, 2013 – An international team of scientists investigated whether congenitally blind subjects experience pain differently than sighted individuals. Their results, published in the current issue of PAIN®, reveal compelling evidence that congenitally blind individuals are hypersensitive to pain caused by thermal stimuli.
	The findings are important because a key biological function of acute pain is to prevent bodily injury. Vision plays a critical role, as it allows a person to immediately detect and avoid potentially hazardous situations. Previous studies conducted in normal-sighted individuals had already demonstrated the link between vision and pain perception. The research team hypothesized that the absence of visual cues may therefore lead to heightened vigilance for painful stimuli.
	Investigators recruited one group of 11 congenitally blind and 15 normal-sighted participants from Italy and a second group of 18 congenitally blind and 18 normal-sighted participants from Denmark. They conducted three experiments. The first compared pain thresholds and responses to suprathreshold pain (pain of sufficient intensity to produce a physiologic effect) stimuli among members of both groups. The second measured detection thresholds for warmth and cold perceptions. The third tested whether study results could be reproduced in an independent study population with culturally distinct ways of responding to pain.
	Researchers used thermal probes on the medial forearm to measure thresholds of pain. The congenitally blind participants were allowed to touch the equipment beforehand and received verbal descriptions to reduce any anxiety. Sighted subjects were blindfolded during the actual testing. All subjects reported feelings of heat or cold pain through use of a response button. To assess suprathreshold pain, the researchers used a laser stimulation device. All participants completed a pain vigilance and awareness questionnaire, which allowed researchers to gather information on attitudes toward pain in daily life.
	The study team found that compared with sighted subjects, congenitally blind subjects have lower heat pain thresholds, rate suprathreshold heat pain stimuli as more painful than the normal-sighted reported, and have increased sensitivity to cold pain stimuli. 
	In addition, interesting cultural differences emerged. "There is evidence that, compared to people from northern countries (e.g., Denmark), people in southern countries (e.g., Italy) are more emotionally expressive and responsive to pain," says lead investigator Ron Kupers, PhD, Director of the BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences—Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 
	The results of the pain questionnaires further demonstrated that blind subjects are more attentive to external threat signals. Dr. Kupers concludes, "We have shown that the absence of vision from birth induces a hypersensitivity to painful stimuli, lending new support to a model of sensory integration of vision and pain processing."
	In a commentary accompanying the article, Flavia Mancini, PhD, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom, says, "The novel finding of pain hypersensitivity in blindness has several important implications for both basic and clinical science. This study is noteworthy for research on multisensory interactions and plasticity, because it shows a strong link between vision and pain. The next step is to understand the nature of the interaction between visual loss and pain sensitivity. Which aspect of pain processing is involved in the interplay with vision, and what is its neural basis? The hope is that this work will open the door to pain investigations into the world of sensory loss, left unexplained for too long."
### END
Congenital blindness results in lower thermal pain thresholds
Absence of vision from birth leads to a permanent state of pain hypersensitivity, reports PAIN®
2013-11-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
NASA begins airborne campaign to map Greenland ice sheet summer melt
2013-11-01
NASA begins airborne campaign to map Greenland ice sheet summer melt
	For the first time, a NASA airborne campaign will measure changes in the height of the Greenland Ice Sheet and surrounding Arctic sea ice produced by a single season of summer melt.
	NASA's ...
Kessler researchers find aerobic exercise benefits memory in persons with multiple sclerosis
2013-11-01
Kessler researchers find aerobic exercise benefits memory in persons with multiple sclerosis
Collaborative study reveals novel finding that aerobic exercise results in increased hippocampal volume, increased connectivity and improved memory in persons with MS
	
West ...
Segregation in American schools still problematic, despite best efforts
2013-11-01
Segregation in American schools still problematic, despite best efforts
	MADISON, Wis. — As American schools struggle with issues of race, diversity and achievement, a new study in the American Sociological Review has split the difference in the ongoing discussion of ...
International team identifies earliest galaxy ever detected
2013-11-01
International team identifies earliest galaxy ever detected
In a major new survey of the early universe conducted from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, UMass Amherst astronomer Mauro Giavalisco and colleagues at other institutions identify the most ...
Brushing your teeth could prevent heart disease
2013-11-01
Brushing your teeth could prevent heart disease
Prospective study finds clinically significant difference in atherosclerosis progression based on changes in periodontal health
	Taking care of your gums by brushing, flossing, and regular ...
Animal welfare scientists reveal infrequent and inconsistent acceptance of existing data by EPA to satisfy endocrine disruptor testing requirements
2013-11-01
Animal welfare scientists reveal infrequent and inconsistent acceptance of existing data by EPA to satisfy endocrine disruptor testing requirements
Norfolk, Va. – An original article by scientists at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ...
Mid-level health workers as effective as physicians
2013-11-01
Mid-level health workers as effective as physicians
  This news release is available in Spanish, French, Portuguese and Arabic.    	Countries facing severe shortages and poor distribution of health workers could benefit from training and deploying more ...
A new weapon in the fight against superbugs
2013-11-01
A new weapon in the fight against superbugs
	The ever-increasing threat from "superbugs" -- strains of pathogenic bacteria that are impervious to the antibiotics that subdued their predecessor generations -- has forced the medical community to look for bactericidal ...
Patients' 'immune fingerprints' may help diagnose bacterial infections and guide treatment
2013-11-01
Patients' 'immune fingerprints' may help diagnose bacterial infections and guide treatment
Body's immune response indicates type of infection and which antibiotics to use
	
	
	Washington, DC (October 31, 2013) — A patient's immune response may provide better and more ...
New techniques produce cleanest graphene yet
2013-11-01
New techniques produce cleanest graphene yet
Columbia Engineers develop new device architecture for 2D materials, making electrical contact from the 1D edge
	
	New York, NY—October 31, 2013—Columbia Engineering researchers have experimentally demonstrated for the ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Cobalt single atom-phosphate functionalized reduced graphene oxide/perylenetetracarboxylic acid nanosheet heterojunctions for efficiently photocatalytic H2O2 production
World-first study shows Australian marsupials contaminated with harmful ‘forever chemicals’
Unlocking the brain’s hidden drainage system
Enhancing smoking cessation treatment for people living with HIV
Research spotlight: Mapping how gut neurons respond to bacteria, parasites and food allergy
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Experimental Physics Investigators awards to UCSB experimentalists opens the door to new insights and innovations
Meerkats get health benefit from mob membership
COVID-19 during pregnancy linked to higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children
How a chorus of synchronized frequencies helps you digest your food
UAlbany researcher partners on $1.2 million NSF grant to explore tropical monsoon rainfall patterns
Checkup time for Fido? Wait might be longer in the country
Genetic variation impact scores: A new tool for earlier heart disease detection
The Lundquist Institute awarded $9 million to launch Community Center of Excellence for Regenerative Medicine
'Really bizarre and exciting': The quantum oscillations are coming from inside
Is AI becoming selfish?
New molten salt method gives old lithium batteries a second life
Leg, foot amputations increased 65% in Illinois hospitals between 2016-2023
Moffitt studies uncover complementary strategies to overcome resistance to KRAS G12Cinhibitors in lung cancer
National summit of experts charts unprecedented roadmap to reduce harms from firearms in new ways
Global environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys significantly expand known geographic and ecological niche ranges of marine fish, highlighting current biases in conservation and ecological modeling
Hundreds of animal studies on brain damage after stroke flagged for problematic images
Prize winner’s research reveals how complex neural circuits are correctly wired during brain development
Supershear rupture sustained in thick fault zone during 2025 Mandalay earthquake, study in research package shows
Study reveals how brain cell networks stabilize memory formation
CTE: More than just head trauma, suggests new study
New psychology study suggests chimpanzees might be rational thinkers
Study links genetic variants to higher 'bad' cholesterol and heart attack risk
Myanmar fault had ideal geometry to produce 2025 supershear earthquake
Breakthrough in BRCA2 research: a novel mechanism behind chemoresistance discovered
New funding for health economics research on substance use disorder treatments
[Press-News.org] Congenital blindness results in lower thermal pain thresholdsAbsence of vision from birth leads to a permanent state of pain hypersensitivity, reports PAIN®