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On the relation between capsaicin sensitivity and responsiveness to CO2: detection sensitivity and event-related brain potentials

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Abstract

Objective

Sensory hyperreactivity (SHR) with predominantly airway symptoms is a subgroup of chemical intolerance to various environmental substances with pungent/odorous properties. The hallmark of SHR is sensitivity to capsaicin inhalation, resulting in extensive coughing likely to be mediated by a C-fiber hyperreactivity of the airway sensory neurons. However, it is not clear whether capsaicin sensitivity implies a greater sensitivity to chemosomatosensory substances in general. Therefore, the present study tested the hypothesis of an association between capsaicin cough sensitivity and sensitivity to CO2 with respect to detection sensitivity and electrophysiological brain response.

Methods

A correlational study was employed to investigate the relation between capsaicin cough sensitivity and detection thresholds and chemosomatosensory event-related potentials (ERPs) for CO2 presented in the nasal cavity in 35 persons varying in capsaicin cough sensitivity.

Results

Number of coughs were found to correlate negatively with CO2 threshold and tended to correlate negatively also with N1 and P2 latencies of the chemosomatosensory ERP for CO2. No tendencies of correlations were found between number of coughs and latencies for olfactory and auditory ERPs, recorded for comparison, but, unexpectedly, were found between number of coughs and auditory N1 amplitude.

Conclusions

The results imply that capsaicin cough sensitivity, such as in SHR, is related to higher detection sensitivity, and tends to be related to faster cortical processing of other chemosomatosensory substances, at least of CO2.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the Asthma and Allergy Association’s Research Fund, the Swedish Research Council, the Vårdal Foundation, the Regional Health Care Authority of West Sweden, the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, and the Swedish Cancer and Allergy Fund. We gratefully acknowledge Christel Larsson for excellent assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    L. Andersson & S. Nordin

  2. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden

    S. Nordin

  3. Asthma and Allergy Research Group, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden

    E. Millqvist

  4. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Central Hospital, Skövde, Sweden

    M. Bende

Authors
  1. L. Andersson
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  2. S. Nordin
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  3. E. Millqvist
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  4. M. Bende
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Correspondence to S. Nordin.

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Andersson, L., Nordin, S., Millqvist, E. et al. On the relation between capsaicin sensitivity and responsiveness to CO2: detection sensitivity and event-related brain potentials. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 82, 285–290 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-008-0333-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-008-0333-1

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