Monitoring nociceptive processing is a current challenge due to a lack of objective measures. Recently, we developed a method for simultaneous tracking of psychophysical detection probability and brain evoked potentials in response to intra-epidermal stimulation. An exploratory investigation showed that we could quantify nociceptive system behavior by estimating the effect of stimulus properties on the evoked potential (EP). The goal in this work was to accurately measure nociceptive system behavior using this method in a large group of healthy subjects to identify the locations and latencies of EP components and the effect of single- and double-pulse stimuli with an inter-pulse interval of 10 or 40 ms on these EP components and detection probability. First, we observed the effect of filter settings and channel selection on the EP. Subsequently, we compared statistical models to assess correlation of EP and detection probability with stimulus properties, and quantified the effect of stimulus properties on both outcome measures through linear mixed regression. We observed lateral and central EP components in response to intra-epidermal stimulation. Detection probability and central EP components were positively correlated to the amplitude of each pulse, regardless of the inter-pulse interval, and negatively correlated to the trial number. Both central and lateral EP components also showed strong correlation with detection. These results show that both the observed EP and the detection probability reflect the various steps of processing of a nociceptive stimulus, including peripheral nerve fiber recruitment, central synaptic summation, and habituation to a repeated stimulus.

由于缺乏客观的措施，监测伤害感受过程是当前的挑战。最近，我们开发了一种方法，用于同时跟踪对表皮内刺激产生的心理物理检测概率和脑诱发电位。一项探索性研究表明，我们可以通过估计刺激特性对诱发电位（EP）的影响来量化伤害感受系统的行为。这项工作的目标是使用此方法在一大群健康受试者中准确测量伤害感受系统行为，以识别EP成分的位置和潜伏期以及脉冲间间隔为10的单脉冲和双脉冲刺激的效果。这些EP成分和检测概率为40毫秒。首先，我们观察了滤波器设置和通道选择对EP的影响。后来，我们比较了统计模型，以评估EP和检测概率与刺激属性的相关性，并通过线性混合回归量化了刺激属性对两种结果指标的影响。我们观察到响应表皮内刺激的侧向和中央EP成分。无论脉冲间隔如何，检测概率和中心EP分量与每个脉冲的幅度呈正相关，与试验次数呈负相关。中央和侧面EP成分也显示出与检测的强烈相关性。这些结果表明，观察到的EP和检测概率均反映了伤害性刺激处理的各个步骤，包括周围神经纤维募集，中枢突触总和和对重复刺激的适应。