Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40770669›Full record

ArticleBiology of sex differences2025

Sex differences in the relationship between pain and autonomic outflow during a cold pressor test.

Laila A Chaudhry, Yasmine Coovadia, Brittany K Schwende, Danielle E Berbrier, Will Huckins, Jinan Saboune, Derek A Skolnik, Emily K Van Berkel, Jeffrey S Mogil, Charlotte W Usselman

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Biology of sex differences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Laila A ChaudhryAlan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, 3755 University Ave, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.
Yasmine CoovadiaCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Brittany K SchwendeCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Danielle E BerbrierCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Will HuckinsCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jinan SabouneCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Derek A SkolnikCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Emily K Van BerkelCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jeffrey S MogilAlan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, 3755 University Ave, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada. jeffrey.mogil@mcgill.ca.
Charlotte W UsselmanCardiovascular Health and Autonomic Regulation Lab, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Funding

CIHR 154281Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada RGPIN-2018-05961
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChronic pain is partly maintained by the sympathetic nervous system, whose activity is best measured by muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). MSNA responses to acute pain have been thoroughly investigated, whereas MSNA responses to longer-lasting pain are poorly understood. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between pain ratings and peroneal MSNA during a tonic cold pressor test (CPT) in male and female participants.

methodsWe obtained MSNA measures during a 6 min CPT in 18 young adult (20-33 years) men and women. Verbal pain ratings (0-10) and autonomic outcomes (heart rate [HR], mean arterial blood pressure [MAP], and MSNA) were assessed simultaneously at multiple time points across the CPT.

resultsPain, HR, and MAP increased in the initial 30s in both sexes. Females increased their MSNA burst frequency (BF) to a greater extent than males. Across the full CPT we observed a positive relationship between pain and HR in males, a positive relationship between pain and MSNA BF in females, and a negative relationship between pain and MSNA burst amplitude in females.

conclusionsOverall, males displayed a strong relationship between tonic pain and HR, an index of parasympathetic activity, whereas females displayed strong and offsetting relationships between tonic pain and purely sympathetic MSNA variables. These observations suggest sex differences in autonomic mechanisms during tonic pain, which may have relevance to ongoing efforts to modulate pain via manipulations of the autonomic nervous system, as well as sex/gender disparities in chronic pain prevalence.

Indexed as

Autonomic Nervous SystemPainSex CharacteristicsAdultBlood PressureCold TemperatureFemaleHeart RateHumansMalePain MeasurementSympathetic Nervous SystemYoung AdultAutonomic nervous systemCold pressor testMuscle sympathetic nerve activitySex differencesTonic pain

Identifiers

PMID40770669
PMCPMC12326594

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.