Effects of Cerebral and Peripheral Electrical Stimulation on Conditioned Pain Modulation in Healthy Subjects.

The Neuromatrix pain model and new findings on pain chronification process point to a greater efficacy of treatments that address central and peripheral rather than only peripheral structures. Both cerebral and peripheral electrical stimulations can modulate brain areas involved in pain processing. However, their effects on pain modulation systems and clinical outcomes are lacking. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and peripheral electrical stimulation (PES) alone as well tDCS combined with PES on pressure pain threshold and conditioned pain modulation in healthy subjects.