Attention and Pain during AO
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Eye movements, alpha and mu EEG activity during action observation
IRAS ID
265057
Contact name
Zoë Franklin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester Metropolitan University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 21 days
Research summary
Back pain is something most of us are familiar with, either through personal experience or knowing someone who suffers with it. Many people who seek medical treatment for back pain are told by their doctor that there is nothing physically wrong with their back and that they can return to normal everyday life, but an element of fear for pain and/or movement remains, often preventing people from returning to normal duties, why?
Research has found that people with pain, process pain related information differently and that within this pain group different personality types (namely repressors and defensive high-anxious) differ from each other as well. Repressors will pay no attention to pain, whereas defensive high-anxious individuals focus on their pain. Addressing what an individual focuses could help them to cope with their pain. It is however unclear what the best method is. More information about the different personality types and their focus is necessary.
By using special eye-tracking glasses it is possible to better understand what a pain patient focusses on. We are also able to measure brain activity at the same time, to understand how people are processing the information they are looking at. Because the repressors and defensive high-anxious process pain differently they may also have different levels of physical activity as a result of this. Using activity trackers, I can assess their daily activity and see how their levels of fear of pain and movement influences their activity levels.
This study is part of a PhD project at Manchester Metropolitan University. Within this study, I aim to: 1) test whether focus on pain differs between personality types; 2) understand the influence of personality type on pain processing; and 3) find out if the daily activity between repressors and defensive high anxious people is different. The findings from this research could influence pain management programmes and provide greater individualised care.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/WM/0118
Date of REC Opinion
4 Nov 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion