Display options
Cite
Meier ML, de Matos NM, Brügger M, et al. Equal pain-Unequal fear response: enhanced susceptibility of tooth pain to fear conditioning. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:526doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00526.
Meier, M. L., de Matos, N. M., Brügger, M., Ettlin, D. A., Lukic, N., Cheetham, M., Jäncke, L., & Lutz, K. (2014). Equal pain-Unequal fear response: enhanced susceptibility of tooth pain to fear conditioning. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 8526. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00526
Meier, Michael L, et al. "Equal pain-Unequal fear response: enhanced susceptibility of tooth pain to fear conditioning." Frontiers in human neuroscience vol. 8 (2014): 526. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00526
Meier ML, de Matos NM, Brügger M, Ettlin DA, Lukic N, Cheetham M, Jäncke L, Lutz K. Equal pain-Unequal fear response: enhanced susceptibility of tooth pain to fear conditioning. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014 Jul 18;8:526. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00526. eCollection 2014. PMID: 25100974; PMCID: PMC4103082.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Front Hum Neurosci. 2014 Jul 18;8:526. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00526. eCollection 2014.

Equal pain-Unequal fear response: enhanced susceptibility of tooth pain to fear conditioning.

Frontiers in human neuroscience

Michael L Meier, Nuno M P de Matos, Mike Brügger, Dominik A Ettlin, Nenad Lukic, Marcus Cheetham, Lutz Jäncke, Kai Lutz

Affiliations

  1. Center of Dental Medicine, Clinic for Removable Prosthodontics, Masticatory Disorders and Special Care Dentistry, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
  2. Center of Dental Medicine, Clinic for Removable Prosthodontics, Masticatory Disorders and Special Care Dentistry, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland.
  3. Center of Dental Medicine, Clinic for Removable Prosthodontics, Masticatory Disorders and Special Care Dentistry, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; MRI Technology, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland.
  4. Institute of Psychology, Department of Neuropsychology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland.
  5. Institute of Psychology, Department of Neuropsychology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Center for Neurology and Rehabilitation Cereneo Vitznau, Switzerland.

PMID: 25100974 PMCID: PMC4103082 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00526

Abstract

Experimental fear conditioning in humans is widely used as a model to investigate the neural basis of fear learning and to unravel the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. It has been observed that fear conditioning depends on stimulus salience and subject vulnerability to fear. It is further known that the prevalence of dental-related fear and phobia is exceedingly high in the population. Dental phobia is unique as no other body part is associated with a specific phobia. Therefore, we hypothesized that painful dental stimuli exhibit an enhanced susceptibility to fear conditioning when comparing to equal perceived stimuli applied to other body sites. Differential susceptibility to pain-related fear was investigated by analyzing responses to an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) applied to the right maxillary canine (UCS-c) vs. the right tibia (UCS-t). For fear conditioning, UCS-c and USC-t consisted of painful electric stimuli, carefully matched at both application sites for equal intensity and quality perception. UCSs were paired to simple geometrical forms which served as conditioned stimuli (CS+). Unpaired CS+ were presented for eliciting and analyzing conditioned fear responses. Outcome parameter were (1) skin conductance changes and (2) time-dependent brain activity (BOLD responses) in fear-related brain regions such as the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, thalamus, orbitofrontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex. A preferential susceptibility of dental pain to fear conditioning was observed, reflected by heightened skin conductance responses and enhanced time-dependent brain activity (BOLD responses) in the fear network. For the first time, this study demonstrates fear-related neurobiological mechanisms that point toward a superior conditionability of tooth pain. Beside traumatic dental experiences our results offer novel evidence that might explain the high prevalence of dental-related fears in the population.

Keywords: amygdala; dental phobia; fMRI; fear conditioning; medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC); pain; skin conductance response; tooth

References

  1. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2011 Sep;6(4):495-506 - PubMed
  2. Front Hum Neurosci. 2011 Feb 07;5:12 - PubMed
  3. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Aug 15;60(4):383-7 - PubMed
  4. Neuron. 2004 Sep 16;43(6):897-905 - PubMed
  5. J Abnorm Psychol. 1993 Feb;102(1):121-32 - PubMed
  6. N Engl J Med. 2013 Apr 11;368(15):1388-97 - PubMed
  7. Br Dent J. 2009 Apr 25;206(8):E17 - PubMed
  8. PLoS One. 2010 Sep 23;5(9):e12944 - PubMed
  9. J Neurosci. 2004 Jan 7;24(1):218-28 - PubMed
  10. Mol Pain. 2010 Nov 17;6:81 - PubMed
  11. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1978 Nov;36(11):1251-8 - PubMed
  12. PLoS One. 2009 Jun 10;4(6):e5865 - PubMed
  13. J Neurosci. 2008 Nov 5;28(45):11517-25 - PubMed
  14. Cereb Cortex. 2014 Nov;24(11):2859-72 - PubMed
  15. Neuron. 1998 May;20(5):937-45 - PubMed
  16. Neuroimage. 2005 Aug 1;27(1):201-9 - PubMed
  17. J Dent Res. 2012 Feb;91(2):156-60 - PubMed
  18. Brain Res. 2014 May 30;1566:69-76 - PubMed
  19. Mol Psychiatry. 2001 Jan;6(1):13-34 - PubMed
  20. J Sex Med. 2009 Nov;6(11):3071-85 - PubMed
  21. Neuroimage. 2011 Jan 1;54(1):681-8 - PubMed
  22. J Abnorm Psychol. 1989 Nov;98(4):381-94 - PubMed
  23. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2011 Mar;35(4):1007-18 - PubMed
  24. Behav Neurosci. 2000 Aug;114(4):671-80 - PubMed
  25. Behav Neurosci. 2007 Aug;121(4):635-42 - PubMed
  26. Behav Neurosci. 2003 Feb;117(1):3-10 - PubMed
  27. J Anxiety Disord. 2006;20(7):858-76 - PubMed
  28. Front Behav Neurosci. 2014 Feb 18;8:44 - PubMed
  29. J Clin Periodontol. 2012 May;39(5):441-7 - PubMed
  30. Emotion. 2002 Sep;2(3):233-41 - PubMed
  31. Exp Brain Res. 2010 Aug;205(1):1-12 - PubMed
  32. J Neurol Sci. 1994 Aug;125(1):39-45 - PubMed
  33. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2002 Jan;28(1):3-26 - PubMed
  34. Biol Psychol. 2006 Jul;73(1):39-48 - PubMed
  35. J Neurosci. 2010 Dec 1;30(48):16324-31 - PubMed
  36. Am J Psychol. 1962 Sep;75:485-91 - PubMed
  37. Neuroimage. 2003 Nov;20(3):1540-51 - PubMed
  38. Neuroimage. 2013 Aug 15;77:93-104 - PubMed
  39. Neuroimage. 1992 Aug;1(1):43-53 - PubMed
  40. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013 Nov;38(11):2529-41 - PubMed
  41. Neurosci Lett. 1993 Nov 26;163(1):109-13 - PubMed
  42. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005 Jul;6(7):533-44 - PubMed
  43. Neuron. 1998 May;20(5):947-57 - PubMed
  44. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2005 Jul;20(7):629-34 - PubMed
  45. Pain. 2010 Dec;151(3):816-824 - PubMed
  46. Eur Radiol. 2011 Apr;21(4):807-15 - PubMed
  47. Int J Psychophysiol. 2005 Jul;57(1):15-23 - PubMed
  48. Anesth Prog. 1989 Nov-Dec;36(6):258-64 - PubMed
  49. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009 Jan;10(1):59-70 - PubMed
  50. J Neurosci. 2008 Sep 3;28(36):9030-6 - PubMed
  51. Br J Clin Psychol. 1983 Nov;22 (Pt 4):245-9 - PubMed
  52. Science. 1958 Sep 26;128(3326):712-4 - PubMed
  53. Neuroreport. 1999 Nov 26;10(17):3665-70 - PubMed
  54. Int J Psychophysiol. 2005 Jul;57(1):5-14 - PubMed
  55. J Neurosci. 2011 Jun 22;31(25):9383-9 - PubMed
  56. Eur J Pain. 2011 Oct;15(9):889-94 - PubMed
  57. Behav Res Ther. 1989;27(1):1-7 - PubMed
  58. Neurophysiol Clin. 2012 Oct;42(5):299-313 - PubMed
  59. Brain. 2012 Feb;135(Pt 2):631-40 - PubMed
  60. Pain. 2008 Jul;137(1):156-163 - PubMed
  61. J Dent Res. 1969 Jul-Aug;48(4):596 - PubMed
  62. Eur J Oral Sci. 2009 Apr;117(2):135-43 - PubMed
  63. Neuroimage. 2010 Jan 15;49(2):1760-8 - PubMed
  64. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2002 Aug;3(8):655-66 - PubMed
  65. Compr Psychiatry. 1969 Mar;10(2):151-6 - PubMed
  66. Neuroimage. 2002 Feb;15(2):293-301 - PubMed
  67. Behav Res Ther. 1986;24(1):1-8 - PubMed
  68. Neuron. 2003 Dec 18;40(6):1251-7 - PubMed
  69. Artif Organs. 2002 Mar;26(3):219-23 - PubMed
  70. Depress Anxiety. 2014 Dec;31(12):1026-34 - PubMed

Publication Types