The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20241008041640/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334058/
Skip to main content
Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
J Exp Anal Behav. 1973 Jan; 19(1): 125–132.
doi: 10.1901/jeab.1973.19-125
PMCID: PMC1334058
PMID: 4196268

Behavioral assessment of pain detection and tolerance in monkeys1

Alexander A. Manning and Charles J. Vierck, Jr.
Author information Copyright and License information PMC Disclaimer

Abstract

Cebus albifrons monkeys received electrical stimulation of the hindlimbs over a wide range of intensities. On trials signalled by a blue light, the animals were permitted to escape shock by pressing a disc, or shock was terminated after 8 sec (free escape). Escape force (disc pressure) was found to increase as stimulation intensity increased well beyond escape threshold, while shock duration curves reached plateau at the mid-range of intensities. The shock duration curves generated by free escape responses should be comparable to pain detection functions obtained by similar operations in humans, and the curves were stable over months of testing, as is generally found in pain-detection studies. On trials signalled by a red light, the animals received intense tail shock immediately after escape responses (punished escape), or, if they endured leg shock for 8 sec without escaping, then they could avoid tail shock with a panel press. The shock duration curves generated by punished escape responses should be comparable to pain tolerance functions as defined for human subjects, and the escape thresholds were considerably higher on red-light trials. As in human studies, the tolerance curves were not stable over repeated testing sessions, and some feature of the paradigm forced a progression toward extremely high levels of tolerance.

Full text

Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Get a printable copy (PDF file) of the complete article (1.0M), or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Links to PubMed are also available for Selected References.

 
icon of scanned page 125
125
icon of scanned page 126
126
icon of scanned page 127
127
icon of scanned page 128
128
icon of scanned page 129
129
icon of scanned page 130
130
icon of scanned page 131
131
icon of scanned page 132
132
 

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  • Appel JB. Fixed-interval punishment. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Nov;11(6):803–808. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • BARBER TX. The effects of "hypnosis" on pain: a critical review of experimental and clinical findings. Psychosom Med. 1963 Jul-Aug;25:303–333. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • BEECHER HK. The measurement of pain; prototype for the quantitative study of subjective responses. Pharmacol Rev. 1957 Mar;9(1):59–209. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • CARROLL MN, LIM RK. Observations on the neuropharmacology of morphine and morphinelike analgesia. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1960 May 1;125:383–403. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Clark WC. Sensory-decision theory analysis of the placebo effect on the criterion for pain and thermal sensitivity. J Abnorm Psychol. 1969 Jun;74(3):363–371. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Cohen PS. Punishment: the interactive effects of delay and intensity of shock. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Nov;11(6):789–799. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Dinsmoor JA, Winograd E. Shock Intensity in Variable-interval Escape Schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1958 Apr;1(2):145–148. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Domjan MP, Rowell JW. The effects of escape conditioning and shock intensity on responding during inescapable shock. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Nov;12(6):1045–1048. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Fields L, Glusman M. Titration of aversive thresholds in cats: escape and avoidance components. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1969 Jul;68(3):334–337. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • GELFAND S. THE RELATIONSHIP OF EXPERIMENTAL PAIN TOLERANCE TO PAIN THRESHOLD. Can J Psychol. 1964 Mar;18:36–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Hilgard ER. Pain as a puzzle for psychology and physiology. Am Psychol. 1969 Feb;24(2):103–113. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Hutchinson RR, Azrin NH, Renfrew JW. Effects of shock intensity and duration on the frequency of biting attack by squirrel monkeys. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Jan;11(1):83–88. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • LANDAU W, BISHOP GH. Pain from dermal, periosteal, and fascial endings and from inflammation; electrophysiological study employing differential nerve blocks. AMA Arch Neurol Psychiatry. 1953 Apr;69(4):490–504. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • RANDALL LO, SELITTO JJ. A method for measurement of analgesic activity on inflamed tissue. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1957 Sep 1;111(4):409–419. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • Riess D. Sidman avoidance in rats as a function of shock intensity and duration. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1970 Dec;73(3):481–485. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • SIEGMUND E, CADMUS R, LU G. A method for evaluating both non-narcotic and narcotic analgesics. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1957 Aug-Sep;95(4):729–731. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • STEVENS SS, CARTON AS, SHICKMAN GM. A scale of apparent intensity of electric shock. J Exp Psychol. 1958 Oct;56(4):328–334. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • WEISS B, LATIES VG. Changes in pain tolerance and other behavior produced by salicylates. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1961 Jan;131:120–129. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • WEISS B, LATIES VG. CHARACTERISTICS OF AVERSIVE THRESHOLDS MEASURED BY A TITRATION SCHEDULE. J Exp Anal Behav. 1963 Oct;6:563–572. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • WEITZMAN ED, ROSS GS. A behavioral method for the study of pain perception in the monkey. The effects of some pharmacological agents. Neurology. 1962 Apr;12:264–272. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Articles from Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior are provided here courtesy of Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior