Background & Aims

Personality traits such as neuroticism, openness, and extraversion can increase pain sensitivity, with impulsivity and excitement seeking particularly associated with this heightened perception. The Five-Factor Inventory and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale are tools used to identify these traits. The study also highlights exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) as a variable factor in pain management, with its effectiveness influenced by physical and motivational differences among individuals. The mechanisms of EIH, including the role of inflammatory cytokines, neurotrophins, and endogenous opioids, underscore the potential of exercise to modulate pain perception. In addition, dysfunction of the GH/ghrelin axis may contribute to increased pain sensitivity. The aim of this research is to investigate the influence of personality traits and hormonal variations, focusing on the HPA and GH/ghrelin axis, on pain perception.

Methods

Fourteen participants have been recruited in this study. They answered NEO PI-R to evaluate their personality traits. By using ELISA methods, we measured five hormones, including cortisol and GH, in serum before, during, and after a 45-minute group and individual supervised exercise task. Participants are received the experimental heat stimulation and requested to evaluate their pain continuously and after the stimulation they ansewered the SFMPQ-2. Statistics were performed using JMP 17.0. Statistics were performed using JMP17.0 with an appropriate one-tailed test and a significance level of 5%.

Results

Cortisol secretion concentrations before and after two types of exercise were used for clustering into group 1 (high cortisol secretion group) and group 2 (low secretion group). GH was significantly elevated in both groups immediately after exercise (p<0.05), but only in group 1 15 min after the start of exercise (p<0.05). First, we compared the five traits based on the Big5 theory in both groups using Student’s t-test. The neuroticism score was significantly higher in the Type2 group compared to the Type1 group (p<0.05). Then, we examined the sub-trait of neuroticism (anxiety, anger/hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsiveness, and vulnerability). Anxiety, depression, and vulnerability scores were significantly higher in the Type2 group (p< 0.05), as was the self-consciousness score (p<0.005). Only assertiveness subscale showed a significant difference with the higher score in Type1(p<0.05). To evaluate the quality of pain, the participants responded to 21 questions about the type of pain experienced while using the SFMPQ-2. The SFMPQ-2 has four different subscales as follows: continuous, intermittent, neuropathic, and affective. The participants from the Type2 group expressed pain significantly more in the continuous component (p<0.05).

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, this work might be the first study to investigate the relationship between personality traits, hormonal responses to training exercises, and individual differences in pain perception. The study results implied a causal relationship between personality trait, especially the trait of neuroticism, and cortisol secretion via the HPA axis after training exercise; suggestion therefore, an association between personality trait and pain perception. Moreover, individual differences in training effectiveness and motivation may be related to the HPA-axis function, but it has been suggested that repeated intensive interventions, such as personal training, could bring the pattern of hormone secretion of individuals with poor training efficiency closer to that of a more autonomously trained people. As a result, pain hypersensitivity, which is disadvantageous in painful conditions, may change for the better following regular training.

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Presenting Author

Aya Nakae

Poster Authors

AYA NAKAE

MD, PhD

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International

Lead Author

Wei-Chuan Chang

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International

Lead Author

Chie Kishimoto

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Osaka University

Lead Author

Hani M. BU-OMER

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Osaka University

Lead Author

Hidenobu Sumioka

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International

Lead Author

Topics

  • Lifestyle Issues: Sleep/Diet/Exercise/Social Interactions