ZNRD1‐AS and RP11‐819C21.1 long non‐coding RNA changes following painful laser stimulation correlate with laser‐evoked potential amplitude and habituation in healthy subjects: A pilot study

Background Non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of non‐coding RNAs that act as regulators of gene expression; they are implicated in various human diseases and have been reported to be involved in the modulation of pain. We aimed to study whether: (a) lncRNAs modifications could be found in an experimental model of pain; (b) there was a correlation between lncRNA changes and laser evoked potential (LEP) amplitude/laser‐pain rating. Methods Laser evoked potentials were recorded from 11 healthy subjects to both left hand and perioral region stimulation. Three consecutive averages were calculated for each stimulation site in order to investigate the LEP amplitude habituation. Blood samples were obtained immediately before LEP recording (pre‐pain) and 30‐min after the recording of the last LEP average (post‐pain). Eighty‐four lncRNAs, involved in autoimmunity and human inflammatory response, were screened. The criteria used for lncRNAs analysis were fold change >2 and p