Relationship of pain threshold and pain tolerance to cognitive functioning in healthy adults and older people.

Previous research shows a change in pain experience in demented elderly. The
findings of these studies suggest that, compared to non-demented elderly,
subgroups of patients with Alzheimer*s disease (AD) indicate to experience less
quantitative (pain intensity) and less qualitative (pain affect) aspects of
pain. Another study shows a relationship between pain experience and the
severity of the dementia, i.e. the more severe the dementia (i.e. the lower the
score on the Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE]), the higher the increase in
pain tolerance (qualitative aspect of pain).
The relationship between pain experience and cognition is quite
obvious. Some of the brain areas that are affected in AD are the hippocampus,
the amygdala, the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus, and the prefrontal
cortex. Besides cognitive and behavioural involvement, these areas play also a
role in the experience of pain, particular pain affect.
Not only in AD, but in healthy older people there is a decline in some
cognitive functions as well, i.e. attention, information processing speed and
working memory. The brain areas involved in these cognitive functions are
involved in pain threshold (lateral pain system) and pain tolerance (medial
pain system). Based on this information it is expected that a decline is
specific cognitive domains, i.e. memory and executive functioning coincides
with an increase in pain tolerance.

To study the relationship between pain threshold, pain tolerance and cognition
in healthy adults and older people.

Observational

The applied pressure does not result in any permanent damage. In general the
applied pressure does not result in any short-term damage, although a minimal
risk of bruising cannot be ruled out.
Attention, concentration, and endurance are tested by the neuropsychological
assessment. This can be fatiguing.