Mental imagery-induced attention modulates pain perception and cortical excitability.

Background: Mental imagery is a powerful method of altering brain activity and behavioral outcomes, such as performance of cognition and motor skills. Further, attention and distraction can modulate pain-related neuronal networks and the perception of pain. This exploratory study examined the effects of mental imagery-induced attention on pressure pain threshold and cortical plasticity using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Movement observation-induced modulation of pain perception and motor cortex excitability.

Objective: The observation of movements increases primary motor cortex (M1) excitability. This exploratory study examined the effects of movement observation on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-indexed corticospinal excitability bilaterally.

Methods: Thirty healthy right-handed subjects were randomized to a left hand-movement observation task or a control task.

Effects of sensory behavioral tasks on pain threshold and cortical excitability.

Background/objective: Transcutaneous electrical stimulation has been proven to modulate nervous system activity, leading to changes in pain perception, via the peripheral sensory system, in a bottom up approach. We tested whether different sensory behavioral tasks induce significant effects in pain processing and whether these changes correlate with cortical plasticity.

Methodology/principal Findings: This randomized parallel designed experiment included forty healthy right-handed males.

The reporting of blinding in physical medicine and rehabilitation randomized controlled trials: a systematic review.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review evaluating the reporting of blinding in randomized controlled trials published in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation over two time periods.

Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE via PubMed for all randomized controlled trials published in American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Clinical Rehabilitation, Disability and Rehabilitation and (Scandinavian) Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine in the years 2000 and 2010.

Study Selection: We initially identified 222 articles, and 139 (62.