The impact of chronic pain on creative ideation: An examination of the underlying attention-related psychophysiological mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Attentional deficits in patients with chronic pain are common and well studied. Yet, few studies have examined the effects of chronic pain on more complex cognitive abilities that rely on well-functioning attentional systems. With the current study, we aimed to investigate whether the impact of chronic pain on attention affects creative ideation as measured with an adaptation of the alternate uses task (AUT). METHODS: Performance in the AUT was compared between 33 patients suffering from chronic pain and 33 healthy matched controls. While solving the task, EEG was recorded to measure the degree of internally directed attention assessed by means of task-related power (TRP) changes. RESULTS: The results revealed that patients with chronic pain generated less creative ideas than healthy controls. This lack of performance was accompanied by lower event-related synchronization (ERS), especially in right parietal sites. Furthermore, these ERS differences explained one-third of the inter-group variance in AUT performance. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that performance decrements in creative ideation in patients with chronic pain may be at least partly attributable to attentional impairments associated with chronic pain. SIGNIFICANCE: Chronic pain negatively affects attention and more complex cognitive abilities. However, the underlying psychophysiological mechanisms and the role of attention as a source of these impairments in more complex abilities are poorly understood. By analyzing task-related power changes in the EEG, the role of internal attention in creative ideation could be determined, revealing the functional relationship between chronic pain, attention, and a more complex cognitive ability.

The effect of chronic pain on voluntary and involuntary capture of attention: An event-related potential study.

Although the interrupting effect of chronic pain on voluntary-directed attention is well-documented, research on the impact of chronic pain on involuntary-directed attention remains incomplete. This study aimed to investigate the influence of chronic pain on involuntary as well as voluntary allocation of attention as, respectively, indexed by the P3a and P3b components in the event-related potential derived from the electroencephalogram. Both involuntary and voluntary captures of attention were compared between 33 patients with chronic pain and 33 healthy controls using an auditory three-stimulus oddball task (with standard, target, and unexpected distractor tones). The results revealed a reduced P3a amplitude as well as a reduced P3b amplitude in patients with chronic pain compared to healthy controls, indicating a detrimental effect of chronic pain on involuntary and voluntary attention, respectively. This study extends the picture of the impairing effects of chronic pain on attentional allocation to a current task and attentional allocation to information outside the focus of attention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

LMA-ProSeal for elective postoperative care on the intensive care unit: a prospective, randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Compared to an endotracheal tube, laryngeal mask airways are known to cause less hemodynamic alteration during the extubation phase of routine perioperative airway management. This study aims to examine the hypothesis that the LMA-ProSeal (PLMA, The Laryngeal Mask Company Limited, St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands) is an adequate tool for elective postoperative care in the intensive care unit (ICU) and potentially associated with less hemodynamic alteration during extubation in the ICU environment compared to an endotracheal tube. METHODS: Forty-eight patients were enrolled for this prospective randomized, controlled trial and were allocated to either control (ICU-T) or study group (ICU-P). In the ICU-P group, the endotracheal tube was replaced by a PLMA at the end of surgery. RESULTS: Forty-patients completed the study. Cardiovascular parameters increased significantly less in the ICU-P group: systolic blood pressure increased by 18.10 +/- 5.57 mmHg versus 34.65 +/- 5.63 mmHg (P < 0.05), mean arterial blood pressure increased by 11.23 +/- 3.25 mmHg versus 22.65 +/- 3.36 mmHg (P < 0.05), and heart rate increased by 9.3 +/- 2.9 versus 12.9 +/- 2.2 min (P < 0.05). Ventilation via the PLMA during transfer from the operation room to the ICU as well as during ICU stay was successful and without any adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Removal of the PLMA after recovery from anesthesia was associated with less cardiovascular change compared to the endotracheal tube. Ventilation was possible without reported adverse events during the entire trial. Elective endotracheal tube replacement by the PLMA may be a useful procedure in selected patients.