Attentional bias to somatosensory stimuli in chronic pain patients meta-analysis data 1988-2019

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the evidence pertaining to attentional bias for painful and non-painful somatosensory stimuli in individuals with chronic pain. Eligible studies were identified via searches of Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. Search terms were words and phrases organised into three concept blocks: pain condition, cognitive process and stimuli/paradigm. The search identified 29 eligible studies (reporting 32 eligible experiments), of which quantitative meta-analysis was possible for 16 studies (19 experiments).
This data collection contains the quantitative data used for meta-analysis and the analysis R scripts.<p>The planned research will investigate the role biased interpretation of ambiguous somatosensory stimuli has in the maintenance of chronic pain in patients with CP, and whether their modification offers pain relief. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) techniques will be used to assess whether innocuous somatosensory stimuli of differing intensities (e.g., heat, pressure, vibration, electrical sensations) are perceived as unpleasant or painful in those with CP relative to pain-free controls, and also whether the thresholds at which these perceptions occur also differ. The PRL has dedicated space in the Department of Psychology and state-of the art QST equipment.</p>