Title: “An Evaluation of Cortical Preparatory Activity and Corticomuscular Coherence in Movement-Evoked Pain”
Supervisors: Dr. John Kramer, Dr. Michael Berger
Committee member: Dr. Timothy Inglis
Abstract:
Introduction: The principal driver of musculoskeletal pain is pain that is experienced during and after movement, which is referred to as movement-evoked pain (MEP). Corticomotor activity is reduced during MEP and after the resolution of pain. Despite the protective short term benefit, these adaptations are hypothesized to have long-term consequences, which contribute to the development of chronic pain. However, the underlying mechanisms that influence the persistence of these adaptations after the resolution of pain remains unknown. The present study aims to investigate the persistence of altered cortical motor preparatory activity and corticomuscular coherence (CMC) in pain-free movements following MEP.
Hypothesis: Cortical preparatory activity will be altered by movement-evoked hand pain, which will persist after the recovery of pain during subsequent pain-free movement.
Proposed Method: A within-subject repeated measures design will be used. Participants will complete a baseline movement condition, a MEP condition, and followed by a pain-free condition 30 minutes following MEP. Cortical preparatory processes including the movement related cortical potential (MRCP), event-related desynchronization (ERD), and beta-suppression will be measured in all conditions. Corticomotor coherence analysis will also be performed. Linear regression will be performed to compare the differences in the magnitude of these measures between each condition. The knowledge that is obtained on the corticomotor neurophysiology of MEP may have implications on future research and the design of treatments that aim to manage MEP.