Shellie Ann Boudreau

Aalborg University · Department of Health Science and Technology

Background: Alterations in the default mode network (DMN) connectivity across pain stages suggest a possible DMN involvement in the transition to persistent pain. Aim: This study examined whether pain-free DMN connectivity at lower alpha oscillations (8-10 Hz) accounts for a unique variation in experimental peak pain intensity beyond the contrib...

Dysmenorrhea, or recurrent menstrual pain, is a highly prevalent pain condition among otherwise healthy women. However, the progression of dysmenorrhea over time and the influence of the menstrual cycle phases need to be better understood. While the location and distribution of pain have been used to assess pain mechanisms in other conditions, it i...

Repetitive movements (RM) are a main risk factor for musculoskeletal pain, which is partly explained by the overloading of musculoskeletal structures. However, RM may also drive brain plasticity, leading to maladaptive changes in sensorimotor areas and altered pain processing. This study aimed to understand whether individuals performing extensive...

Prolonged experimental pain models can help assess cortical mechanisms underlying the transition from acute to chronic pain such as resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), especially in early stages. This crossover study determined the effects of 24-hour-capsaicin-induced pain on the default mode network rsFC, a major network in the dynamic p...

Introduction: Acute musculoskeletal injuries have diverse symptomatology and a multidimensional recovery process, including changes in swelling, redness, hyperalgesia, and expanded pain distribution. In a small proportion of cases, the tissue heals, although these symptoms persist, reflecting altered peripheral and central pain mechanisms. However...

Similar to the purpose of an infographic, visualizing spatial and qualitative sensations on a body chart is a fast and digestible method for communicating complex information and experiences. Further, digitizing these body charts into an interactive medium creates unprecedented opportunities for collecting extensive data. Moreover, applying simple...

Amputee Football (AF) players move using lofstrand crutches (LC) and a single leg during training and matches, which may expose them to excessive loads. Due to a lack of scientific articles describing these issues, this pilot study aims to gain insight into the assessment of pain experiences, as well as external loads during training and matches in...

Groin pain is common in athletes, but remains a challenge to diagnose. Self-reported pain quality distribution may facilitate differential diagnoses. We included 167 athletes with groin pain (≥ 4 weeks). All athletes received a standardized clinical examination. Athletes could choose multiple quality descriptors and intensity, and drew these on a d...

Groin pain is common in athletes, but remains a challenge to diagnose. Self-reported pain quality distribution may facilitate differential diagnoses. We included 167 athletes with groin pain (≥ 4 weeks). All athletes received a standardized clinical examination. Athletes could choose multiple quality descriptors and intensity, and drew these on a d...

Objectives: To longitudinally investigate the relationships between neck/arm disability and pain profile measures in individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain (NSNP) at baseline, one month, and six months after a standardized physiotherapy intervention. A secondary aim was to compare pain sensitivity of individuals with chronic NSNP at baseli...

Objectives This study aimed to determine if standardized palpations of the temporalis muscle evoke referred pain and/or sensations in individuals without TMD. Materials and methods This was a randomized, single-blinded study. The mechanical sensitivity of the right temporalis muscle was assessed in 32 participants without TMD with nine different s...

Objectives: To assess the agreements and differences in pain drawings (pain area, shape and location) between individuals who have greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) and their clinician. Methods: In this study, 23 patients with GTPS (21 female, pain duration range 8-24 months) underwent clinical evaluation by a registered physiotherapist....

Background COVID-19 has accelerated the implementation of online consultations thus creating the need to assess usability of electronic-pain-annotation tools. We aimed to learn from the pandemic and generate practice recommendations from assessing electronic-pain-annotation and pen-to-paper-annotation by producing a detailed usability framework. M...

The angular gyrus (AG) is a common hub in the pain networks. The role of the AG during pain perception, however, is still unclear. This crossover study examined the effect of tonic pain on resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the AG under eyes closed (EC) and eyes open (EO). It included two sessions (placebo/pain) separated by 24 hours....

Objectives Clinical decisions rely on a patient’s ability to recall and report their pain experience. Monitoring pain in real-time (momentary pain) may reduce recall errors and optimize the clinical decision-making process. Tracking momentary pain can provide insights into detailed changes in pain intensity and distribution (area and location) over...

Knowledge and research about football goalkeeper (GK) injuries are scarce, which prevents the development of evidence‐based injury prevention programs. Fortunately, progress is evident in injury prevention strategies in outfield football players. However, a GK fulfills a unique role, and an injured GK can substantially impact a team. Thus, there is...

Background Endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms are known to reduce pain intensity, but whether they influence the size and distribution of pain referral is unclear. This study aimed to determine if referred pain is reduced by applying a remote, conditioning painful stimulus. Methods Twenty‐four healthy men participated in this randomized, crosso...

Objective: Nociception caused by injuries may sensitize central mechanisms causing expanded pain areas. After recovery, the status of such pain distribution and sensitivity mechanisms is unknown. The present study investigated whether individuals who have fully recovered from a distal radius fracture demonstrate increased pain sensitivity and expa...

Objective: To investigate the pain referral area (number of pixels) and extent (vector length) as elicited from increasing intensities of pressure-induced pain at the shoulder. Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: Clinical laboratory setting. Participants: Twenty-two healthy men and women participated in two experimental sessions. Metho...

Background: Digital pain mapping allows for remote and ecological momentary assessment in patients over multiple time points spanning days to months. Frequent ecological assessments may reveal tendencies and fluctuations more clearly and provide insights into the trajectory of a patient’s pain. Objective: The primary aim of this study is to remote...

BACKGROUND Digital pain mapping allows for remote and ecological momentary assessment in patients over multiple time points spanning days to months. Frequent ecological assessments may reveal tendencies and fluctuations more clearly and provide insights into the trajectory of a patient’s pain. OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this study is to remotely...

OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between an embodied sensory experience and the ability to translate the perception of this experience visually using modifiable motion graphics. METHODS:A custom-designed software was developed to enable users to modify a motion graphic in real-time. The motion graphics were designe...

Background Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is the primary contributor to disability worldwide. There is a growing consensus that MSK pain is a recurrent multifactorial condition underpinned by health and lifestyle factors. Studies suggest that education on work-related pain and individualised advice could be essential and effective for managing persiste...

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translate...

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translate...

Next to winning, minimizing injuries during training and matches is one of the primary goals of professional team sports games. Soreness and pain can be early indicators and risk factors for acute or long‐term injuries. Monitoring pain intensity and duration, as well as potential sources, are useful for planning practices and can be effective means...

Background and aims Persistent tendinopathies were previously considered solely as peripheral conditions affecting the local tendinous tissue until quantitative sensory testing identified involvement of altered pain processing. In similar fashion, pain in patients with persistent plantar fasciopathy may also involve more than local tissue. The aim...

Background: In a pain drawing (PD), the patient shades or marks painful areas on an illustration of the human body. This simple yet powerful tool captures essential aspects of the subjective pain experience, such as localization, intensity, and distribution of pain, and enables the extraction of meaningful information, such as pain area, widespread...

Experimental pain inhibits primary motor cortex (M1) excitability. Attenuating pain-related inhibition of M1 excitability may be useful during rehabilitation in individuals with pain. One strategy to attenuate M1 excitability is to influence prefrontal and premotor cortex activity. Working memory tasks, e.g. the two-back task (TBT), engage prefront...

Musculoskeletal pain reduces corticomotor excitability (CE) and methods modulating such CE reduction remain elusive. This study aimed to modulate pain-induced CE reduction by performing action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) during experimental muscle pain. Twelve healthy subjects participated in three cross-over and randomized sessions separa...

Intramuscular injection of nerve growth factor (NGF) causes muscle hyperalgesia without immediate pain. This double-blinded, randomized study assessed pain and muscle hypersensitivity after a single-site bolus NGF injection (5 µg) compared with 5 spatially distributed, low-dose NGF injections (1 µg, 4 cm distance) into the tibialis anterior (TA) mu...

Abstract The patient’s expression of pain using digital-body maps expands analytic opportunities for exploring the spatial variation of bodily pain. A common knee pain condition in adolescents and adults is patellofemoral pain (PFP) and recently PFP was shown to be characterized by a heterogeneous distribution of pain. Whether there are important p...

The revival of pain drawings as digital body maps for visualizing pain and discomfort changes the way we understand patients and communicate with them. Data stemming from simple drawings of musculoskeletal pain helped reveal the significance and impact of single versus multi-site pain reports. To achieve the next big step, we will need to go beyond...

Objectives In spinal cord stimulation (SCS), the electrical stimulation of the spinal cord with an implanted lead evokes a tingling peripheral sensation known as paresthesias. Newer stimulation paradigms allow paresthesia‐free treatment, but during the implantation of the lead, paresthesias must cover the painful area to achieve optimal treatment e...

Facilitated pain mechanisms have been demonstrated in musculoskeletal pain, but it is unclear whether a recent painful injury leaves the pain system sensitized. Pain characteristics were assessed in individuals who recently recovered from ankle pain (recovered pain group; n = 25) and sex-matched control subjects (n = 25) in response to tonic pressu...

Experimental muscle pain inhibits corticomotor excitability (CE) of upper limb muscles. It is unknown if this inhibition affects overlapping muscle representations within the primary motor cortex to the same degree. This study explored CE changes of the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) and extensor carpi radialis (ECR) muscles in response to muscle p...

Background Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is often reported as a diffuse pain at the front of the knee during knee-loading activities. A patient’s description of pain location and distribution is commonly drawn on paper by clinicians, which is difficult to quantify, report and compare within and between patients. One way of overcoming these potential li...

Musculoskeletal trauma and pain can sensitize central pain mechanisms but whether these normalize upon recovery is unknown. This study compared the extent of pain referral in individuals recovered from a musculoskeletal trauma and healthy controls. Twenty pain-free participants recovered from a shoulder fracture and 20 age/gender matched controls p...

Background and Aims: Most somatosensory psychophysical studies focus on the intensity perceived in response to a stimulus. Very little is known about the spatial representation corresponding to thermal cutaneous stimuli. This study assessed spatial resolution of thermosensation using hot, cold, and ambient temperature stimuli delivered by a method...

This study profiled intra-oral somatosensory and vasomotor responses to three different transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, subfamily A, member 1 (TRPA1) agonists (menthol, nicotine, and cinnamaldehyde) in smoking and non-smoking young adults. Healthy non-smokers (N = 30) and otherwise healthy smokers (N = 25) participated in a randomized,...

Aims Muscle pain affects corticomotor areas representing the affected muscle, by changing the size of representation and reduces the corticospinal output as assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Less work has been done to understand how pain in one muscle group may affect synergistic ipsilateral muscles distal to the pain. This study...

Background Detailed pain mapping of extent and distribution in individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP) within and around a complex structure such as the knee has yet to be explored. Methods Perceptions of on-going pain from adolescents and young adults (N = 35) with long-standing (>10 months) PFP were collected on high-resolution 3D digital bod...

Aim of Investigation A common feature in musculoskeletal pain is the recurrence of pain after the initial painful episode even after complete tissue healing. This may suggest that the nociceptive system undergoes changes following the tissue insult which do not return to normal. This study aimed to investigate whether individuals who have recovere...

Background: Chronic pain is more prevalent among women; however, the majority of standardized pain drawings are often collected using male-like androgynous body representations. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess whether gender-specific and high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) body charts facilitate the communication of pain fo...

Numerous exploratory, proof-of-concept and interventional studies have used histaminergic and non-histaminergic human models of itch. However, no reliability studies for such surrogate models have been conducted. This study investigated the test-retest reliability for the response to histamine- and cowhage- (5, 15, 25 spiculae) induced itch in heal...

Cinnamaldehyde and nicotine activate the transient receptor potential subtype A1 (TRPA1) channel, which may cause burning sensations. This study investigated whether cinnamaldehyde modulates nicotine-induced psychophysical and physiological responses in oral tissues. Healthy non-smokers (n = 22) received, in a randomized, double-blind, crossover de...

This study implemented an intra-oral test-platform to assess the sensory, psychophysical and vasomotor responses to nicotine and menthol, alone or in combination. Two double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized, cross-over studies, including healthy non-smoking participants were performed. Study I: A dose-response relationship (N = 20) between 0...

To assess the consistency and level of agreement between pain drawings collected on (1) paper and a personal computer tablet and (2) between a 2D line drawing and 3D body schema. Healthy participants (N=24) recreated a pre-marked 'pain' area from a 2D line drawing displayed on paper onto paper or tablet, and individuals with chronic neck pain (N=29...

The aim of this study was to assess the activation of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and splenius capitis (SC) muscles in response to unanticipated, full body perturbations in individuals with chronic neck pain (NP) and age-matched healthy controls (HC). Individuals with NP had a history of NP for 8.9 ± 7.8 years, rated the intensity of NP as 4.2 ±...

The feature extraction APP has been designed and developed by pain specialists for healthcare professionals and medical institutions. The feature extraction APP uses touch-screen technology and unique data entry tools to record pain symptoms. Local functions are available for data capture, analytics, and visualization.

Background: Although exercise can be effective for relief of neck pain, little is known about the effect of exercise on the neural control of neck muscles. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 46 women with chronic neck pain to investigate the immediate effectiveness of an 8-week exercise programme on pain and directional spec...

Objective: To investigate the relation between localized pressure pain sensitivity and the amplitude and specificity of semispinalis cervicis muscle activity in patients with chronic neck pain. Materials and methods: Pressure pain detection thresholds (PPDTs) were measured over the C2-C3 and C5-C6 cervical zygapophyseal joints in 10 women with c...

Given the evidence that the primary motor cortex (MI) consists of subpopulations of upper motor neurons tuned to different directional parameters of a motor movement, this study hypothesized that novel motor skill training involving either a bidirectional or more complex multidirectional tongue-typing movement should produce distinct training-relat...

This study assessed the ability of the tongue tip to accurately select intraoral targets embedded in an upper palatal tongue-computer interface, using 18 able-bodied volunteers. Four performance measures, based on modifications to Fitts's Law, were determined for three different tongue-computer interface layouts. The layouts differed with respect t...

The purpose of this study was to assess the activation of the erector spinae (ES) and external oblique (EO) in response to unanticipated, bi-directional postural perturbations before and after the induction of acute low back pain (LBP) in healthy individuals. An experimental session consisted of a baseline, control, and an acute LBP condition. For...

The extent of cortical neuroplastic changes has been shown to be a key neurophysiological feature that correlates with the level of functional recovery. Therefore, rehabilitation efforts that attempt to maximize cortical reorganization provide the greatest potential for rehabilitation success. This paper reviews the evidence of cortical neuroplasti...

Insulin alone may be insufficient to regulate blood glucose concentrations in critical illness. Previously we have presented 'Glucosafe,' a decision support system that recommends insulin infusion rates and rates of enteral and intravenous feeding, based on penalty functions. This study presents a general method by which the scaling of these penalt...

This study determined, in humans, the effects of (i) the number of within-session task repetitions (72 or 144 over a period of 15 or 30 min, respectively) on the time course of motor learning in a long-term (seven consecutive daily motor-training sessions and a 1-week post-follow-up) novel tongue-task training regime and (ii) somatosensory manipula...

The aim of the present study was to determine in humans whether local anaesthesia (LA) or nociceptive stimulation of the periodontal ligaments affects the excitability of the face primary motor cortex (MI) related to the tongue and jaw muscles, as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Twelve healthy volunteers (11 men, 1 woman, 25.3...

To characterize and contrast human sensory and vascular changes produced by topical application of the algesic chemical capsaicin to the glabrous lips and tongue. Applications of 1% capsaicin or vehicle cream to the glabrous lips and tongue were randomized between two two-trial sessions. The capsaicin trial followed the vehicle trial for each sessi...

The aim of this present study is to test the hypothesis that nociceptive stimulation of latent myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) increases the occurrence of local muscle cramps. Nociceptive muscle stimulation was obtained by a bolus injection of glutamate (0.1 ml, 0.5 M) into a latent MTrP and a control point (a non-MTrP) located in the right or le...

This study is motivated by the need to know the characteristics of the learning processes in tongue-computer interaction and to obtain a useful insight to a better design of the tongue-computer interface for computer text input. Tongue-typing can be a good alternative to hand input methods for physically disabled individuals or tasks where hand-typ...

To determine if short-term (15 min) training in a novel tongue-task is associated with rapid neuroplasticity of the tongue primary motor area (MI) in the human cerebral cortex, and if intra-oral tonic pain affects the tongue MI neuroplasticity and tongue-task training performance. Nine healthy volunteers (7 men, 2 women, mean age 24+/-1.1 years) pa...