Touch Sensitivity in College-Aged Adults
Abstract
The present study aims to identify what factors influence pain perception. Previous studies have focused on the differences in pain tolerance between genders, but this difference could be due to differences in physiology. The COMT rs4680 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been implicated in stress and pain perception (Serrano et al., 2019, Hill et al., 2018). G/G/ allele carriers perform better under stressful conditions and perceive less pain relative to the A/- allele carriers. Here we examined how gender, body size, and genetic makeup influences pain intensity, pain threshold, and pain tolerance. Participants will be asked to passively drool into a test tube to gain a saliva sample for genetic analysis. Following this, participants will be administered the Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale (PASS-20) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure anxiety. Participants will then undergo the Cold Pressor Test to measure pain intensity (maximum level of discomfort experienced while holding a single hand in ice water), pain threshold (time from immersion in ice water at which participants indicate feeling discomfort), and pain tolerance (time at which hand is removed from the ice water). We hypothesized that pain sensitivity will be higher in females, larger individuals, and A/- allele carriers.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Jaime Tartar, Dr. Leanne Boucher
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-6-2022 12:00 PM
End Date
4-7-2022 5:00 PM
Touch Sensitivity in College-Aged Adults
Alvin Sherman Library
The present study aims to identify what factors influence pain perception. Previous studies have focused on the differences in pain tolerance between genders, but this difference could be due to differences in physiology. The COMT rs4680 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been implicated in stress and pain perception (Serrano et al., 2019, Hill et al., 2018). G/G/ allele carriers perform better under stressful conditions and perceive less pain relative to the A/- allele carriers. Here we examined how gender, body size, and genetic makeup influences pain intensity, pain threshold, and pain tolerance. Participants will be asked to passively drool into a test tube to gain a saliva sample for genetic analysis. Following this, participants will be administered the Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale (PASS-20) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure anxiety. Participants will then undergo the Cold Pressor Test to measure pain intensity (maximum level of discomfort experienced while holding a single hand in ice water), pain threshold (time from immersion in ice water at which participants indicate feeling discomfort), and pain tolerance (time at which hand is removed from the ice water). We hypothesized that pain sensitivity will be higher in females, larger individuals, and A/- allele carriers.
