Article
Rehabilitation
Elizabeth R. Felix, Diana D. Cardenas, Thomas N. Bryce, Susan Charlifue, Tae Kyong Lee, Bria MacIntyre, Sara Mulroy, Heather Taylor
Summary: This study compared the prevalence, intensity ratings, and interference ratings of neuropathic pain and nociceptive pain in chronic spinal cord injury patients, finding significant differences in intensity and interference levels between neuropathic pain and non-neuropathic pain. Additionally, women and paraplegic patients were found to have a higher prevalence of neuropathic pain, providing important insights for treatment strategies.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2022)
Article
Rehabilitation
Tim C. Crul, Marcel W. M. Post, Johanna M. A. Visser-Meily, Janneke M. Stolwijk-Swuste
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of SCI-related pain during initial inpatient rehabilitation and explore their relationships with demographic and lesion characteristics. The results showed that SCI-related pain was highly prevalent during inpatient rehabilitation and different factors such as sex, age, and type of injury were associated with the presence of pain.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Satoshi Kasahara, Naoto Takahashi, Ko Matsudaira, Hiroyuki Oka, Kozue Takatsuki, Shoji Yabuki
Summary: This study evaluated the psychometric characteristics of the MPI-J in Japanese patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and confirmed its reliability and validity. However, the study has limitations and further research with larger sample size and more comprehensive approach is needed.
Article
Rehabilitation
Anders Aaby, Sophie Lykkegaard Ravn, Helge Kasch, Tonny Elmose Andersen
Summary: This study aimed to determine the relationship between different facets of acceptance and quality of life after spinal cord injury. The results suggest that acceptance can support higher quality of life in various ways and is an important process in rehabilitation.
JOURNAL OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Rehabilitation
Benjamin J. H. Beirens, Fransiska M. Bossuyt, Ursina Arnet, Lucas H. van der Woude, Wiebe H. K. de Vries
Summary: This study investigated the association between wheelchair propulsion biomechanics and shoulder pain in individuals with spinal cord injury. Results showed that individuals with severe shoulder pain had less smooth strokes during propulsion, indicating a possible link between shoulder pain and smoothness of applied forces.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2021)
Article
Rehabilitation
Nicole D. DiPiro, James S. Krause
Summary: The objective of this study was to identify patterns and relationships of nonprescription psychoactive substance (PAS) use among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The results demonstrated a prevalent use of nonprescription PAS among adults with chronic SCI, with clear differences in patterns and characteristics of use.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ilknur Telkes, Amir Hadanny, Marisa DiMarzio, Girish Chitnis, Steven Paniccioli, Katherine O'Connor, Rachael Grey, Kevin McCarthy, Olga Khazen, Bryan McLaughlin, Julie G. Pilitsis
Summary: This study is the first to investigate the medio-lateral selectivity of a high-resolution spinal cord stimulation (HR-SCS) paddle in patients with chronic pain. The results suggest that HR-SCS may provide additional ipsilateral recruitment within the extremities, improving targeting of focal pain in the lower extremities. Additionally, this study supports the use of intraoperative neuromonitoring as a decision tool in thoracic SCS surgeries and provides a comprehensive methodological framework.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Yu-Chen Chen, Yin-Chien Ou, Ju-Chuan Hu, Min-Hsin Yang, Wei-Yu Lin, Shi-Wei Huang, Chih-Chieh Lin, Victor C. Lin, Yao-Chi Chuang, Hann-Chorng Kuo
Summary: Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction is common in chronic spinal cord injury patients, and proper bladder management is crucial for protecting upper urinary tract function, maintaining continence, and improving quality of life while reducing urological complications.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vinicius Tieppo Francio, Keith F. Polston, Micheal T. Murphy, Jonathan M. Hagedorn, Dawood Sayed
Summary: Since 1967, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) technology has evolved significantly, with the introduction of the 10 kHz SCS system that selectively activates inhibitory interneurons in the dorsal horn. This high-frequency stimulation pattern has demonstrated significant pain control superiority in patients with chronic back pain and neuropathic pain.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Giusy Guzzi, Attilio Della Torre, Domenico La Torre, Giorgio Volpentesta, Carmelino Angelo Stroscio, Angelo Lavano, Federico Longhini
Summary: Chronic low-back pain is a common disease with negative impacts on patients' quality of life and healthcare costs. When conventional treatments fail, patients may consider Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), which can effectively reduce symptoms in well-selected patients for up to eight years.
Article
Neurosciences
Laura Medlock, Kazutaka Sekiguchi, Sungho Hong, Salvador Dura-Bernal, William W. Lytton, Steven A. Prescott
Summary: Pain-related sensory input is processed in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) before being relayed to the brain, influencing how stimuli are perceived as painful. Researchers developed a computational model constrained by experimental data to explore SDH function, which reproduced characteristic firing patterns of spinal neurons and responded consistently to inhibition reduction and specific neuron type ablation.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Tyler S. Nelson, Bradley K. Taylor
Summary: In summary, the accelerating basic science literature reveals that spinal neuropeptide Y inhibits chronic pain by targeting the Y1 receptor, primarily located in key sites of pain transmission in the dorsal horn. Selective ablation of spinal Y1-INs attenuates hypersensitivity, while pharmacological activation of Y1 inhibits both pain and itch, suggesting Y1-INs as a promising therapeutic target for chronic pain and itch.
PROGRESS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Silvia Castany, Anna Bago-Mas, Jose Miguel Vela, Enrique Verdu, Karolina Bretova, Viktorie Svobodova, Petr Dubovy, Pere Boadas-Vaello
Summary: This study aimed to determine whether neuroinflammatory factor over-expression in the spinal cord and supraspinal structures may be associated with reflexive and nonreflexive pain response development from acute spinal cord injury (SCI) phase to 12 weeks post-injury in female mice. The results show that transient reflexive responses were observed during the SCI acute phase associated with transient cytokine overexpression in the spinal cord. In contrast, increased nonreflexive pain responses were observed in the chronic phase associated with cytokine overexpression in supraspinal structures, especially in mPFC. In addition, results revealed the contribution of neuron-glia crosstalk in the development of nonreflexive pain responses in the chronic spinal cord injury phase, as indicated by increased glial activation and CX3CL1/CX3CR1 upregulation in the neurons in the mPFC.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Jillian M. R. Clark, James S. Krause
Summary: This study investigated the relationships between self-reported biological, psychological, and social factors and life satisfaction in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury. The results indicated that less severe depressive symptoms and greater social support were associated with higher levels of life satisfaction in global, vocational, and home life domains.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2022)
Article
Rehabilitation
Anthony F. DiMarco, Robert T. Geertman, Kutaiba Tabbaa, Gregory A. Nemunaitis, Krzysztof E. Kowalski
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) to improve bowel management in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Results showed that SCS significantly reduced time required for bowel management, increased airway pressure generation, and improved overall quality of life. Importantly, the improvement in bowel management was associated with restoration of intra-abdominal pressure development.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2021)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Luciana S. Branco-de-Almeida, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, Yandy Gonzalez-Marrero, Rachad Kudsi, Izabel C. V. de Oliveira, Bogdan Dolia, Hong Huang, Ikramuddin Aukhil, Peter Harrison, Luciana M. Shaddox
Summary: The study evaluated the local immunoinflammatory profiles in localized aggressive periodontitis patients before and after periodontal treatment, finding that periodontal treatment can modify the inflammatory characteristics of patients and maintain the stability of the disease.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, Eric Porges
Summary: Advances in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy have allowed for non-invasive examination of neuroinhibitory and neuroexcitatory processes, particularly in chronic pain conditions. However, the lack of consideration for differential brain aging processes across heterogeneous pain conditions introduces bias in interpreting underlying brain metabolite levels as potential biomarkers for specific pain conditions. Future studies should address the interactions between pain and brain aging across different MRS metabolite measures.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, Samuel J. Crowley, Jared Tanner, Catherine C. Price
JOURNAL OF PAIN RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Anesthesiology
Josue Cardoso, Brandon Apagueno, Paige Lysne, Lorraine Hoyos, Eric Porges, Joseph L. Riley, Roger B. Fillingim, Adam J. Woods, Ronald Cohen, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
Summary: The study found that older adults with chronic pain living in the community have significantly lower MoCA scores in domains of executive function, attention, memory, and language compared to those without pain. Attention and language domains remained significantly different after adjustments. Attention was associated with pain intensity and disability, while executive function was linked to mechanical detection.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Alisa J. Johnson, Abigail T. Wilson, Chavier Laffitte Nodarse, Soamy Montesino-Goicolea, Pedro A. Valdes-Hernandez, Jessie Somerville, Julio A. Peraza, Roger B. Fillingim, Joel Bialosky, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
Summary: The study found significant age-related declines in sensory responses in healthy older adults compared to younger adults, with these declines being uniquely affected by anatomical site. Additionally, significant associations between somatosensory function and brain structure were identified.
INNOVATION IN AGING
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Soamy Montesino-Goicolea, Pedro A. Valdes-Hernandez, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
Summary: Aging is associated with poor sleep quality and greater chronic pain prevalence. This study aimed to determine whether self-reported chronic musculoskeletal pain in community-dwelling older adults moderates the association between sleep quality and resting state functional brain connectivity. The findings suggest that the neurobiology underlying the associations between chronic pain and sleep in older adults may contribute to the development of effective therapies to decrease disability in geriatric populations.
PAIN RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alisa J. Johnson, Taylor Buchanan, Chavier Laffitte Nodarse, Pedro A. Valdes Hernandez, Zhiguang Huo, James H. Cole, Thomas W. Buford, Roger B. Fillingim, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
Summary: This study found that high impact chronic knee pain is associated with an older appearing brain on MRI. The impact of pain is negatively correlated with brain-predicted age difference and significantly associated with clinical pain, negative affect, passive coping, and pain catastrophizing.
JOURNAL OF PAIN RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Eva Widerstrom-Noga
Summary: Chronic neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex condition that is difficult to manage due to multiple pathophysiological mechanisms and psychosocial factors. Phenotyping using pain symptoms and somatosensory function can uncover underlying mechanisms, but cognitive and psychosocial factors also play a significant role. A combination of self-management, non-pharmacological, and pharmacological approaches is needed to optimize pain management in this population. This article provides an updated summary of SCI-related neuropathic pain, pain mechanisms, treatment recommendations, pain phenotypes and biomarkers, psychosocial factors, and progress in defining neuropathic pain phenotypes for targeted treatments.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Eva Widerstrom-Noga, Fin Biering-Sorensen, Thomas N. Bryce, Diana D. Cardenas, Nanna B. Finnerup, Mark P. Jensen, J. Scott Richards, Jan Rosner, Julian Taylor
Summary: To update the International Spinal Cord Injury Pain Basic Data Set (ISCIPBDS version 2.0) and incorporate suggestions from the SCI pain clinical and research community, the study group revised the ISCIPBDS (Version 3.0) through expert opinion, feedback, revisions, and final consensus, making the dataset more flexible and useful.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Tamara Ordonez Diaz, Roger B. Fillingim, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, Jennifer A. Nichols
Summary: The study evaluated sensory and psychological differences in individuals with thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) and/or knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain. The results suggest that knee OA compounded with CMC OA increases disease impact and decreases emotional health compared to OA at either the CMC or knee joint alone.
JOURNAL OF PAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Pedro A. Valdes-Hernandez, Chavier Laffitte Nodarse, James H. Cole, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
Summary: An individual's brain-PAD, which is the difference between predicted brain age and chronological age, can serve as a biomarker for disease in research studies. However, there is a lack of brain age reports from clinical MRIs despite the availability of rich clinical information. This study explores the feasibility of using a deep network, DeepBrainNet, trained on research-oriented MRIs, to predict brain ages of patients in clinical settings. The results demonstrate the potential of DeepBrainNet on clinical populations, although more accurate algorithms or retraining may be necessary.
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Larissa J. Strath, Lingsong Meng, Asha Rani, Zhiguang Huo, Thomas C. Foster, Roger B. Fillingim, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D plays a role in pain experience through its interaction with the epigenome. This study found that individuals with chronic knee pain had epigenetic modifications in genes involved in vitamin D metabolism, providing insight into the mechanism underlying the association between vitamin D and chronic pain.
LIFESTYLE GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, Alisa Johnson, Lingsong Meng, Puja Sinha, Asha Rani, Sean Yoder, Zhiguang Huo, Thomas C. Foster, Roger B. Fillingim
Summary: Gerontological research shows that there is significant individual variability in aging phenotypes, and recent evidence indicates a connection between high impact chronic pain and accelerated biological aging. This study aimed to investigate the association between multiple epigenetic aging biomarkers and high impact chronic pain in middle to older age adults. The results revealed that certain epigenetic clocks were significantly related to pain-related disability and knee pain intensity. Additionally, pain catastrophizing, depressive symptomatology, and neuropathic pain symptoms were associated with an older epigenome. Further research is needed to understand the potential of epigenetic aging in identifying individuals with chronic pain at higher risk of functional decline and poorer health outcomes.
Article
Neurosciences
Soamy Montesino-Goicolea, Puja Sinha, Zhiguang Huo, Asha Rani, Thomas C. Foster, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
Article
Neurosciences
Yenisei Cruz-Almeida, Puja Sinha, Asha Rant, Zhiguang Huo, Roger B. Fillingim, Thomas Foster
