Experimental Pain in Healthy Human Subjects

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Abstract
We used electrically induced pain in healthy young subjects to study gender differences in nociception and the analgesic efficacy of ibuprofen.Cutaneous stimulation of the earlobe allowed measurement of pain detection thresholds and maximal pain tolerance. Drug and placebo were each administered twice using a double-blind, randomized, multiple cross-over design. Male subjects had greater stimulus thresholds (lower nociception) compared with female subjects (18 +/- 0.3 vs 15 +/- 0.3 volts, mean +/- SEM; n = 10 in each group) and a greater pain tolerance (24 +/- 0.4 vs 21 +/- 0.4 volts). Response variability was also greater in the male subjects, yet only the men exhibited a statistically significant analgesic response to ibuprofen (Delta volts; ibuprofen versus placebo: 2.80 +/- 0.33 vs -0.18 +/- 0.34; P (Anesth Analg 1998;86:1257-62)