Scalp-recorded contingent negative variation (CNV) increases during experimentally induced sustained ischemic pain in humans.

Contingent negative variations (CNV) after acoustic stimuli (S1) followed by optical ones (S2) were recorded using electroencephalography in 22 healthy students both under control conditions and during ischemic pain to study the effects of sustained pain on CNV. Mean negative CNV-amplitudes and integrated areas below CNV were significantly larger during periods of ischemic pain than under control conditions (16.53 versus 13.11 microV, respectively (P=0.0028) and 8.318 versus 6.357 microV*s, respectively (P=0.00071)). We conclude that deep somatic pain augments CNV. Reduced CNV amplitudes occurring during migraine attacks, however, reflect other mechanisms which may mask the effects of migraine headache on CNV.