Emotional control of nociceptive reactions (ECON): do affective valence and arousal play a role
Abstract
Prior research suggests emotional picture-viewing modulates motoric (nociceptive flexion reflex), autonomic (skin conductance response, heart rate acceleration), and subjective (pain rating) reactions to noxious electrodermal stimulation. The present study sought to determine whether emotional valence and arousal contribute to nociception modulation. To do so, pictures varying in emotional content (erotica, food, neutral, loss, attack) were chosen to manipulate emotional valence (pleasant=erotic and food; unpleasant=loss and attack) and arousal (low=food and loss; moderate=erotica and attack). Pictures were presented in pseudorandom order to elicit emotional processing while noxious electric stimulations were delivered to the sural nerve. Nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) magnitude, skin conductance response (SCR), heart rate (HR) acceleration, and subjective pain ratings to each stimulation were measured, standardized, averaged by picture content, and analyzed. Results suggested that picture-viewing explained 52% of the variance in the multivariate combination of the nociceptive reactions and modulated them in parallel. Pleasant pictures inhibited reactions, whereas unpleasant pictures enhanced them. However, only erotica and attack pictures elicited significant modulation relative to neutral pictures, suggesting arousal also contributed. An exploratory multilevel analysis also supported this conclusion. Together, these data suggest emotional control of nociceptive reactions (ECON) is associated with a valence-by-arousal interaction. Implications of these findings for how emotional picture-viewing can be used to study supraspinal modulation are discussed.
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The biosocial model holds that validation soothes, lowers negative affect, and reduces tension in highly emotional interactions.
“According to the biosocial model[12; 13], validation has a soothing effect, reduces negative affect, and “takes the steam” out of interactions with high emotional arousal.[6]”
From Validating pain communication: current state of the science (2015) · cites this paper as [13]
Linehan identifies six levels of validating behaviors that people like partners, friends, and health professionals can use.
“In the developing the construct of validation, Linehan describes six levels of validating behaviors that individuals (e.g. partners, friends, health professionals) may engage in (see Table 1).”
From Validating pain communication: current state of the science (2015) · cites this paper as [13]
The biosocial model predicts that when patients are validated after disclosing pain-related thoughts and feelings, they will feel understood and accepted, have lower emotional arousal and negative affect, and may have less pain.
“According to the biosocial model, if patients receive validation after sharing pain-related thoughts and feelings, they will feel understood and accepted, will experience a reductions in emotional arousal and negative affect, and may experience a reduction in pain (see Figure 1, Panel B).”
From Validating pain communication: current state of the science (2015) · cites this paper as [13]
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- Authors
- Rhudy, J. L., Williams, A. E., McCabe, K. M., Russell, J. L., & Maynard, L. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Tulsa (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rhudy, Jamie L.
- Venue
- Pain
- Published
- 2008-06
- Volume
- 136
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 250-261
- ISSN
- 0304-3959 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2142885267
- Cited by
- 185
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 4.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Pain (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
- Keywords
- emotional valence, emotional arousal, nociceptive flexion reflex, skin conductance response, heart rate acceleration, subjective pain ratings, sural nerve
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Arousal, Biofeedback, Psychology, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Nociceptors, Pain Threshold
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