Elvan Kut | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) (original) (raw)

Papers by Elvan Kut

transcript Verlag eBooks, Dec 31, 2012

Edition Collegium Helveticum, 2013

Pain, 2007

Changes in self-perceived role identity modulate pain perception

Protein Expression and Purification, Jun 1, 2006

Human cytosolic thymidine kinase (hTK1) is the key enzyme of the pyrimidine salvage pathway and p... more Human cytosolic thymidine kinase (hTK1) is the key enzyme of the pyrimidine salvage pathway and phosphorylates thymidine to thymidine monophosphate, a precursor building block of the DNA. Wild-type hTK1 (hTK1W) as well as a truncated form of the enzyme (hTK1M) carrying deletions at the N- and C-terminal regions were cloned as His(6)-tagged fusion proteins. Expression, isolation, and purification protocols have been established, leading to high yields of soluble and active wild type (approximately 35 mg) and truncated hTK1 (approximately 23 mg) per liter of culture. The protein was purified to near homogeneity. The chaperone DnaK was identified to be the major contaminant that could be removed by applying an additional ATP-MgCl(2) incubation and washing step. hTK1W was a permanent tetramer in solution, whereas the truncated construct hTK1M appears to be a dimer in absence and presence of substrates. Both hTK1W and hTK1M exhibit pronounced thermal stability with transition temperatures (T(m)) of 71.7 and 73.4 degrees C, respectively, when measured without adding substrates. The presence of substrates stabilized both hTK1W (DeltaT(m) ranging from 5.6 to 12.5 degrees C) and hTK1M (DeltaT(m) ranging from 0.8 to 5.3 degrees C). Both enzymes show high activity over a broad range of pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Kinetic studies determined a K(M) of 0.51 microM and a k(cat) of 0.28 s(-1) for wild-type hTK1. The truncated hTK1M has a K(M) of 0.87 microM and k(cat) of 1.65 s(-1), thus exhibiting increased catalytic efficiency. The availability of recombinant human TK1 will facilitate further biochemical and crystallographic studies.

Biologische Modelle und ihre ethischen Implikationen

Zusammenfassung: Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteu... more Zusammenfassung: Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteure des Gesundheitswesens heraus und betrifft das gesamte Gesundheitssystem der Schweiz. Durch einen interprofessionellen Austausch der Fachpersonen aus Medizin und Gesundheit kann besser auf die individuellen Bedürfnisse der Patientinnen und Patienten eingegangen werden, was sich positiv auf deren Behandlungen auswirkt. Damit Studierende des Bachelor Humanmedizin der ETH Zürich auf diese Herausforderungen vorbereitet werden, hat die ETH Zürich zusammen mit vier Bildungsinstitutionen eine spezifische Lehrveranstaltung konzipiert, die sich an den interprofessionellen Versorgungsketten orientieren, welche Patientinnen und Patienten durchlaufen. Ziel der interprofessionellen Lehrveranstaltung ist, dass Bachelor-Studierende der Medizin und die an der Lehrveranstaltung beteiligten Pharmazie-und HF Pflegestudierenden Wissen über die anderen Berufsgruppen sowie deren unterschiedlichen Aufgabengebiete und berufsspezifische Kompetenzen erwerben und gleichzeitig die Nahtstellen der Interprofessio nellen Zusammenarbeit kennenlernen.

Praxis

Zusammenfassung. Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteu... more Zusammenfassung. Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteure des Gesundheitswesens heraus und betrifft das gesamte Gesundheitssystem der Schweiz. Durch einen interprofessionellen Austausch der Fachpersonen aus Medizin und Gesundheit kann besser auf die individuellen Bedürfnisse der Patientinnen und Patienten eingegangen werden, was sich positiv auf deren Behandlungen auswirkt. Damit Studierende des Bachelor Humanmedizin der ETH Zürich auf diese Herausforderungen vorbereitet werden, hat die ETH Zürich zusammen mit vier Bildungsinstitutionen eine spezifische Lehrveranstaltung konzipiert, die sich an den interprofessionellen Versorgungsketten orientieren, welche Patientinnen und Patienten durchlaufen. Ziel der interprofessionellen Lehrveranstaltung ist, dass Bachelor-Studierende der Medizin und die an der Lehrveranstaltung beteiligten Pharmazie- und HF Pflegestudierenden Wissen über die anderen Berufsgruppen sowie deren unterschiedlichen Aufgabeng...

Objectives Emergency contraception (EC) has been freely accessible in Swiss pharmacies since Nove... more Objectives Emergency contraception (EC) has been freely accessible in Swiss pharmacies since November 2002. Today some groups are still concerned that free access might result in less use of effi cient contraceptive methods, overuse and more risky sexual behaviour. Methods Profi les of EC users one and six years after deregulation were analysed with regard to age, contraceptive methods used, reasons for EC use, and last contact with a gynaecologist. Data were collected from a centrally located pharmacy. Written offi cial assessment forms concerning 1500 women (750 in 2004 and 750 in 2009) were analysed. Results Free access to EC use had no impact on regular contraceptive behaviour. The percentage of pill and condom users was very high (85%). The percentage of EC-users without any contraception (17-18%) was the same over the years. In 2009, condom rupture was reported more frequently (p Ͻ 0.001). In addition signifi cantly more women had used EC previously in their history. Conclusion Free access to EC has not resulted in less use of effi cient contraceptive methods. In the context of falling abortion rates our results are reassuring. This also applies to adolescents, who mainly used EC as a backup method and seldom in the context of unprotected intercourse.

Journal of Neuroscience, 2011

Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies i... more Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies in animals and humans show that opioid-mediated descending pathways can inhibit or facilitate pain. We explored the role of endogenous opioid neurotransmission in pleasure-related analgesia. μ-Opioidergic activity was blocked with 0.2 mg/kg naloxone to assess its effects on hedonic responses to pleasant emotional pictures (International Affective Picture System) and its modulating effects on heat pain tolerance. Naloxone did not alter subjective and autonomous reactions to pleasure induction or overall mood of participants. In addition, pleasure-related increases in pain tolerance persisted after reversal of endogenous μ-opioidergic neurotransmission. Subjective pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings increased after naloxone administration. These findings suggest that, in addition to opioid-sensitive circuits, mainly opioid-insensitive pain-modulating circuits are activated during pleasure-related analgesia.

Neuroscience Letters, 2008

Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they... more Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they are equivalent when measured at three equidistant sites of both volar forearms. Heat pain threshold and tolerance were measured in 18 healthy volunteers using a standard stimulation device consisting of a thermode. Pain threshold and pain tolerance did not differ within and across forearm sites. Experimenters addressing heat pain threshold and tolerance in healthy volunteers may freely choose and change stimulation sites on both volar forearms, without the risk of confounding site effects on dependent variables. This data completes previous reports on side effects by analyzing the effect of site on the forearm for both heat pain threshold and tolerance. The absence of side and site effects may contribute to setting a more secure basis for assessments of laterality effects of painful stimulation.

X.media.publishing, 2010

This article interrogates the contemporary comprehension of rational drug design in the developme... more This article interrogates the contemporary comprehension of rational drug design in the development of pharmaceutical products with therapeutic and enhancing properties and its extensions to designer drugs on the grey and black market. The latter not only evidently leads to ethical and hence societal questions of standardizing the state of well-being of body and mind, but also virtually sets the

Journal of Neuroscience, 2011

Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies i... more Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies in animals and humans show that opioid-mediated descending pathways can inhibit or facilitate pain. We explored the role of endogenous opioid neurotransmission in pleasure-related analgesia. μ-Opioidergic activity was blocked with 0.2 mg/kg naloxone to assess its effects on hedonic responses to pleasant emotional pictures (International Affective Picture System) and its modulating effects on heat pain tolerance. Naloxone did not alter subjective and autonomous reactions to pleasure induction or overall mood of participants. In addition, pleasure-related increases in pain tolerance persisted after reversal of endogenous μ-opioidergic neurotransmission. Subjective pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings increased after naloxone administration. These findings suggest that, in addition to opioid-sensitive circuits, mainly opioid-insensitive pain-modulating circuits are activated during pleasure-related analgesia.

Neuroscience Letters, 2008

Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they... more Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they are equivalent when measured at three equidistant sites of both volar forearms. Heat pain threshold and tolerance were measured in 18 healthy volunteers using a standard stimulation device consisting of a thermode. Pain threshold and pain tolerance did not differ within and across forearm sites. Experimenters addressing heat pain threshold and tolerance in healthy volunteers may freely choose and change stimulation sites on both volar forearms, without the risk of confounding site effects on dependent variables. This data completes previous reports on side effects by analyzing the effect of site on the forearm for both heat pain threshold and tolerance. The absence of side and site effects may contribute to setting a more secure basis for assessments of laterality effects of painful stimulation.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2003

The B 2 bradykinin receptor belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor family. Development of new ... more The B 2 bradykinin receptor belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor family. Development of new drugs for this important therapeutic target requires structural information on the receptor. The main goal of the present work was to overexpress the human B 2 receptor for future biophysical studies. Different tagged B 2 receptors were engineered and their properties were evaluated by transient expression in HEK293S cells. A B 2 receptor tagged with a hexahistidine at the N-terminus and a nonapeptide at the C-terminus was selected for high expression level and preserved ligand-binding characteristics. First, we generated a HEK293S stable cell line expressing the receptor constitutively at a level of 60 pmol/mg of crude membrane protein. However, the decrease of expression level with cell passages led us to express the B 2 receptor in a HEK293S tetracycline-inducible stable cell line. Induction of expression of the B 2 receptor with tetracycline and sodium butyrate led to a level of 100 pmol/mg of membrane protein, which is the highest level reported so far for this receptor. The expression level was stable with cell passages and the ligand-binding and signal transduction properties of the receptor were unaltered. The receptor was purified to near homogeneity by solubilization with n-dodecyl-b-D-maltoside followed by a two-step purification procedure combining hydroxyapatite and immunoaffinity chromatography. Although the purified receptor is not functional, the purification of the B 2 receptor to near homogeneity from a stable cell line overexpressing this receptor pave the way for future structural studies of this receptor.

Endogenous opioids have been implicated in mediating (placebo) analgesia, in reward processes, an... more Endogenous opioids have been implicated in mediating (placebo) analgesia, in reward processes, and in the regulation of socially relevant emotions. To explore their potential contributions to higher cognitive functions, we used a novel task with tachistoscopically presented (for 150 ms) pairs of meaningless figures. Healthy right-handed men judged the similarities and dissimilarities between the two figures on a visual analogue scale (VAS) in two separate runs. In a double-blind, between-subjects design, subjects were administered intravenously either 0.2-mg/kg naloxone or placebo 10 min prior to the task, and VAS judgments and response latencies were measured. We found a significant interaction between substance group and type of judgment: The magnitude of the similarity judgments was lower in the naloxone than in the placebo group, while dissimilarity judgments remained uninfluenced by the treatment. Reaction latencies and mood scores, assessed before and after substance administration, did not differ between the two groups, indicating that the findings did not rely on altered motor performance or motivation. We suggest that naloxone decreased the "similarity criterion" in comparative judgments, indicating its potentially modulatory effect on visual cognition. The task introduced here could be used for the implicit study and quantification of subtle affective-cognitive processes beyond the level of mere questionnaire data.

Pain, 2007

Pain is an experience including physiological and psychological factors. We assume that emotions ... more Pain is an experience including physiological and psychological factors. We assume that emotions may be elicited and increased through self-perceived role identity and that change of role identity alters quality and intensity of pain perception. We used role-play strategies to assess whether pain can be better tolerated whenever, in an unavoidable and unpleasant context, role identity confers pain a meaningful and thus suitable character. We induced antithetic roles in 21 actors who received heat stimuli on their arms before and after role-play conditions. Pain tolerance, skin conductance and voice signals were measured. Pain tolerance increased for heroes/heroines and decreased for faint-hearts. Men showed higher pain tolerance. Heroes/heroines evaluated heat stimuli as more intense. Faint-hearts found pain stimuli more affectively loaded at lower temperatures. Women showed higher pain ratings. Hence, self-perception influences pain perception. Role-play strategies may be of value for new pain management strategies.

transcript Verlag eBooks, Dec 31, 2012

Edition Collegium Helveticum, 2013

Pain, 2007

Changes in self-perceived role identity modulate pain perception

Protein Expression and Purification, Jun 1, 2006

Human cytosolic thymidine kinase (hTK1) is the key enzyme of the pyrimidine salvage pathway and p... more Human cytosolic thymidine kinase (hTK1) is the key enzyme of the pyrimidine salvage pathway and phosphorylates thymidine to thymidine monophosphate, a precursor building block of the DNA. Wild-type hTK1 (hTK1W) as well as a truncated form of the enzyme (hTK1M) carrying deletions at the N- and C-terminal regions were cloned as His(6)-tagged fusion proteins. Expression, isolation, and purification protocols have been established, leading to high yields of soluble and active wild type (approximately 35 mg) and truncated hTK1 (approximately 23 mg) per liter of culture. The protein was purified to near homogeneity. The chaperone DnaK was identified to be the major contaminant that could be removed by applying an additional ATP-MgCl(2) incubation and washing step. hTK1W was a permanent tetramer in solution, whereas the truncated construct hTK1M appears to be a dimer in absence and presence of substrates. Both hTK1W and hTK1M exhibit pronounced thermal stability with transition temperatures (T(m)) of 71.7 and 73.4 degrees C, respectively, when measured without adding substrates. The presence of substrates stabilized both hTK1W (DeltaT(m) ranging from 5.6 to 12.5 degrees C) and hTK1M (DeltaT(m) ranging from 0.8 to 5.3 degrees C). Both enzymes show high activity over a broad range of pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Kinetic studies determined a K(M) of 0.51 microM and a k(cat) of 0.28 s(-1) for wild-type hTK1. The truncated hTK1M has a K(M) of 0.87 microM and k(cat) of 1.65 s(-1), thus exhibiting increased catalytic efficiency. The availability of recombinant human TK1 will facilitate further biochemical and crystallographic studies.

Biologische Modelle und ihre ethischen Implikationen

Zusammenfassung: Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteu... more Zusammenfassung: Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteure des Gesundheitswesens heraus und betrifft das gesamte Gesundheitssystem der Schweiz. Durch einen interprofessionellen Austausch der Fachpersonen aus Medizin und Gesundheit kann besser auf die individuellen Bedürfnisse der Patientinnen und Patienten eingegangen werden, was sich positiv auf deren Behandlungen auswirkt. Damit Studierende des Bachelor Humanmedizin der ETH Zürich auf diese Herausforderungen vorbereitet werden, hat die ETH Zürich zusammen mit vier Bildungsinstitutionen eine spezifische Lehrveranstaltung konzipiert, die sich an den interprofessionellen Versorgungsketten orientieren, welche Patientinnen und Patienten durchlaufen. Ziel der interprofessionellen Lehrveranstaltung ist, dass Bachelor-Studierende der Medizin und die an der Lehrveranstaltung beteiligten Pharmazie-und HF Pflegestudierenden Wissen über die anderen Berufsgruppen sowie deren unterschiedlichen Aufgabengebiete und berufsspezifische Kompetenzen erwerben und gleichzeitig die Nahtstellen der Interprofessio nellen Zusammenarbeit kennenlernen.

Praxis

Zusammenfassung. Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteu... more Zusammenfassung. Die Zunahme an chronischen und komplexen Erkrankungen fordert verschiedene Akteure des Gesundheitswesens heraus und betrifft das gesamte Gesundheitssystem der Schweiz. Durch einen interprofessionellen Austausch der Fachpersonen aus Medizin und Gesundheit kann besser auf die individuellen Bedürfnisse der Patientinnen und Patienten eingegangen werden, was sich positiv auf deren Behandlungen auswirkt. Damit Studierende des Bachelor Humanmedizin der ETH Zürich auf diese Herausforderungen vorbereitet werden, hat die ETH Zürich zusammen mit vier Bildungsinstitutionen eine spezifische Lehrveranstaltung konzipiert, die sich an den interprofessionellen Versorgungsketten orientieren, welche Patientinnen und Patienten durchlaufen. Ziel der interprofessionellen Lehrveranstaltung ist, dass Bachelor-Studierende der Medizin und die an der Lehrveranstaltung beteiligten Pharmazie- und HF Pflegestudierenden Wissen über die anderen Berufsgruppen sowie deren unterschiedlichen Aufgabeng...

Objectives Emergency contraception (EC) has been freely accessible in Swiss pharmacies since Nove... more Objectives Emergency contraception (EC) has been freely accessible in Swiss pharmacies since November 2002. Today some groups are still concerned that free access might result in less use of effi cient contraceptive methods, overuse and more risky sexual behaviour. Methods Profi les of EC users one and six years after deregulation were analysed with regard to age, contraceptive methods used, reasons for EC use, and last contact with a gynaecologist. Data were collected from a centrally located pharmacy. Written offi cial assessment forms concerning 1500 women (750 in 2004 and 750 in 2009) were analysed. Results Free access to EC use had no impact on regular contraceptive behaviour. The percentage of pill and condom users was very high (85%). The percentage of EC-users without any contraception (17-18%) was the same over the years. In 2009, condom rupture was reported more frequently (p Ͻ 0.001). In addition signifi cantly more women had used EC previously in their history. Conclusion Free access to EC has not resulted in less use of effi cient contraceptive methods. In the context of falling abortion rates our results are reassuring. This also applies to adolescents, who mainly used EC as a backup method and seldom in the context of unprotected intercourse.

Journal of Neuroscience, 2011

Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies i... more Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies in animals and humans show that opioid-mediated descending pathways can inhibit or facilitate pain. We explored the role of endogenous opioid neurotransmission in pleasure-related analgesia. μ-Opioidergic activity was blocked with 0.2 mg/kg naloxone to assess its effects on hedonic responses to pleasant emotional pictures (International Affective Picture System) and its modulating effects on heat pain tolerance. Naloxone did not alter subjective and autonomous reactions to pleasure induction or overall mood of participants. In addition, pleasure-related increases in pain tolerance persisted after reversal of endogenous μ-opioidergic neurotransmission. Subjective pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings increased after naloxone administration. These findings suggest that, in addition to opioid-sensitive circuits, mainly opioid-insensitive pain-modulating circuits are activated during pleasure-related analgesia.

Neuroscience Letters, 2008

Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they... more Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they are equivalent when measured at three equidistant sites of both volar forearms. Heat pain threshold and tolerance were measured in 18 healthy volunteers using a standard stimulation device consisting of a thermode. Pain threshold and pain tolerance did not differ within and across forearm sites. Experimenters addressing heat pain threshold and tolerance in healthy volunteers may freely choose and change stimulation sites on both volar forearms, without the risk of confounding site effects on dependent variables. This data completes previous reports on side effects by analyzing the effect of site on the forearm for both heat pain threshold and tolerance. The absence of side and site effects may contribute to setting a more secure basis for assessments of laterality effects of painful stimulation.

X.media.publishing, 2010

This article interrogates the contemporary comprehension of rational drug design in the developme... more This article interrogates the contemporary comprehension of rational drug design in the development of pharmaceutical products with therapeutic and enhancing properties and its extensions to designer drugs on the grey and black market. The latter not only evidently leads to ethical and hence societal questions of standardizing the state of well-being of body and mind, but also virtually sets the

Journal of Neuroscience, 2011

Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies i... more Recent findings suggest that pain and pleasure share common neurochemical circuits, and studies in animals and humans show that opioid-mediated descending pathways can inhibit or facilitate pain. We explored the role of endogenous opioid neurotransmission in pleasure-related analgesia. μ-Opioidergic activity was blocked with 0.2 mg/kg naloxone to assess its effects on hedonic responses to pleasant emotional pictures (International Affective Picture System) and its modulating effects on heat pain tolerance. Naloxone did not alter subjective and autonomous reactions to pleasure induction or overall mood of participants. In addition, pleasure-related increases in pain tolerance persisted after reversal of endogenous μ-opioidergic neurotransmission. Subjective pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings increased after naloxone administration. These findings suggest that, in addition to opioid-sensitive circuits, mainly opioid-insensitive pain-modulating circuits are activated during pleasure-related analgesia.

Neuroscience Letters, 2008

Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they... more Pain threshold and pain tolerance of heat noxious stimuli were assessed to determine whether they are equivalent when measured at three equidistant sites of both volar forearms. Heat pain threshold and tolerance were measured in 18 healthy volunteers using a standard stimulation device consisting of a thermode. Pain threshold and pain tolerance did not differ within and across forearm sites. Experimenters addressing heat pain threshold and tolerance in healthy volunteers may freely choose and change stimulation sites on both volar forearms, without the risk of confounding site effects on dependent variables. This data completes previous reports on side effects by analyzing the effect of site on the forearm for both heat pain threshold and tolerance. The absence of side and site effects may contribute to setting a more secure basis for assessments of laterality effects of painful stimulation.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2003

The B 2 bradykinin receptor belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor family. Development of new ... more The B 2 bradykinin receptor belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor family. Development of new drugs for this important therapeutic target requires structural information on the receptor. The main goal of the present work was to overexpress the human B 2 receptor for future biophysical studies. Different tagged B 2 receptors were engineered and their properties were evaluated by transient expression in HEK293S cells. A B 2 receptor tagged with a hexahistidine at the N-terminus and a nonapeptide at the C-terminus was selected for high expression level and preserved ligand-binding characteristics. First, we generated a HEK293S stable cell line expressing the receptor constitutively at a level of 60 pmol/mg of crude membrane protein. However, the decrease of expression level with cell passages led us to express the B 2 receptor in a HEK293S tetracycline-inducible stable cell line. Induction of expression of the B 2 receptor with tetracycline and sodium butyrate led to a level of 100 pmol/mg of membrane protein, which is the highest level reported so far for this receptor. The expression level was stable with cell passages and the ligand-binding and signal transduction properties of the receptor were unaltered. The receptor was purified to near homogeneity by solubilization with n-dodecyl-b-D-maltoside followed by a two-step purification procedure combining hydroxyapatite and immunoaffinity chromatography. Although the purified receptor is not functional, the purification of the B 2 receptor to near homogeneity from a stable cell line overexpressing this receptor pave the way for future structural studies of this receptor.

Endogenous opioids have been implicated in mediating (placebo) analgesia, in reward processes, an... more Endogenous opioids have been implicated in mediating (placebo) analgesia, in reward processes, and in the regulation of socially relevant emotions. To explore their potential contributions to higher cognitive functions, we used a novel task with tachistoscopically presented (for 150 ms) pairs of meaningless figures. Healthy right-handed men judged the similarities and dissimilarities between the two figures on a visual analogue scale (VAS) in two separate runs. In a double-blind, between-subjects design, subjects were administered intravenously either 0.2-mg/kg naloxone or placebo 10 min prior to the task, and VAS judgments and response latencies were measured. We found a significant interaction between substance group and type of judgment: The magnitude of the similarity judgments was lower in the naloxone than in the placebo group, while dissimilarity judgments remained uninfluenced by the treatment. Reaction latencies and mood scores, assessed before and after substance administration, did not differ between the two groups, indicating that the findings did not rely on altered motor performance or motivation. We suggest that naloxone decreased the "similarity criterion" in comparative judgments, indicating its potentially modulatory effect on visual cognition. The task introduced here could be used for the implicit study and quantification of subtle affective-cognitive processes beyond the level of mere questionnaire data.

Pain, 2007

Pain is an experience including physiological and psychological factors. We assume that emotions ... more Pain is an experience including physiological and psychological factors. We assume that emotions may be elicited and increased through self-perceived role identity and that change of role identity alters quality and intensity of pain perception. We used role-play strategies to assess whether pain can be better tolerated whenever, in an unavoidable and unpleasant context, role identity confers pain a meaningful and thus suitable character. We induced antithetic roles in 21 actors who received heat stimuli on their arms before and after role-play conditions. Pain tolerance, skin conductance and voice signals were measured. Pain tolerance increased for heroes/heroines and decreased for faint-hearts. Men showed higher pain tolerance. Heroes/heroines evaluated heat stimuli as more intense. Faint-hearts found pain stimuli more affectively loaded at lower temperatures. Women showed higher pain ratings. Hence, self-perception influences pain perception. Role-play strategies may be of value for new pain management strategies.