Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Tinnirello, Silvia Mazzoleni, Carola Santi
Summary: Research on pain in the elderly shows conflicting results, with some studies suggesting a modest decrease in pain sensitivity and others finding a reduced pain threshold. Elderly individuals are more prone to hyperalgesia, with pathologic changes in the central nervous system affecting pain processing.
Article
Orthopedics
Josu Zabala Mata, Ion Lascurain-Aguirrebena, Estibaliz Dominguez Lopez, Jon Jatsu Azkue
Summary: The study found that patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain (NSNP) have increased pronociceptive and impaired antinociceptive mechanisms, contributing to long-lasting pain and treatment failures. However, the observational nature of the study prevents establishing a clear cause-effect relationship. Normal PPT values should not be interpreted as absence of altered nociceptive processing in the clinic environment.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Federica De Rosa, Bruno Giannatiempo, Bruno Charlier, Albino Coglianese, Francesca Mensitieri, Giulia Gaudino, Armando Cozzolino, Amelia Filippelli, Ornella Piazza, Fabrizio Dal Piaz, Viviana Izzo
Summary: This article aims to describe the pharmacological approaches currently used for the management of chronic pain. It covers several aspects, from the pain-scale-based methods to the commonly administered drugs. The article also discusses strategies to reduce problems related to opioid use, with a focus on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and its potential for optimizing and personalizing opioid-based pain treatments based on recent scientific reports.
Review
Neurosciences
Ferran Cuenca-Martinez, Luis Suso-Marti, Joaquin Calatayud, Francisco Jose Ferrer-Sargues, Vicente Munoz-Alarcos, Patricio Alba-Quesada, Gemma Bivia-Roig
Summary: Pain neuroscience education (PNE) has been extensively studied in the field of physical therapy, but its effectiveness remains controversial. This umbrella review found that adding PNE-based intervention to other treatments can lead to greater clinical improvements in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, particularly in reducing the influence of psychosocial variables. However, studies testing the effectiveness of PNE alone did not show statistically significant improvements in pain intensity, disability levels, or psychosocial variables.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Victoria A. Grunberg, Ryan A. Mace, Sarah M. Bannon, Jonathan Greenberg, Jafar Bakhshaie, Ana-Maria Vranceanu
Summary: The study suggests that pain catastrophizing and mindfulness are important intervention targets to enhance emotional functioning for chronic pain patients, and should be considered simultaneously in interventions.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Anesthesiology
Iurii Kuchyn, Vasyl' Horoshko
Summary: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the treatment outcomes of gunshot wound patients, including the frequency of chronic pain, acute stress reactions, satisfaction with treatment results, and the number of wound localizations. The results showed that gunshot wound patients have a higher risk of chronic pain, and the presence of neuropathic pain and acute stress reactions are the reasons for such chronicity.
BMC ANESTHESIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Psychiatry
Lan Duo, Xintong Yu, Ruihan Hu, Xiping Duan, Jia Zhou, Ke Wang
Summary: Chronic pain and sleep disorders are common problems that seriously affect patients' quality of life, but there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding of this comorbidity. This review article summarizes the prevalence of comorbid sleep disorders in chronic pain patients, sleep detection methods, sleep characterization in chronic pain, the impact of sleep disorders on chronic pain, and current therapies. The neurochemical mechanisms underlying the comorbidity of chronic pain with sleep disorders are still limited.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
D. S. Albrecht, M. Kim, O. Akeju, A. Torrado-Carvajal, R. R. Edwards, Y. Zhang, C. Bergan, E. Protsenko, A. Kucyi, A. D. Wasan, J. M. Hooker, V Napadow, M. L. Loggia
Summary: This study found that negative affect in chronic pain patients is associated with elevated levels of the glial marker TSPO in the brain and changes in functional connectivity.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Huan-Jun Lu, Yong-Jing Gao
Summary: Astrocytes play important roles in chronic pain by regulating nociceptive responses and exaggerating pain signals through interactions with neurons and other glial cells. They also actively contribute to the emotional and memory-related aspects of chronic pain in specific brain regions.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Frederik Schlitt, Katharina Schmidt, Christian J. Merz, Oliver T. Wolf, Julian Kleine-Borgmann, Sigrid Elsenbruch, Katja Wiech, Katarina Forkmann, Ulrike Bingel
Summary: Pain-related learning is important in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. A study on patients with chronic back pain and healthy volunteers found impaired threat and safety learning in patients, with greater impairment in those with longer pain duration. These findings contribute to understanding the role of aberrant pain-related learning in chronic pain.
Article
Neurosciences
Astrid Mayr, Pauline Jahn, Anne Stankewitz, Bettina Deak, Anderson Winkler, Viktor Witkovsky, Ozan Eren, Andreas Straube, Enrico Schulz
Summary: The study found that the intensity of pain in chronic pain patients is mainly encoded in the anterior insular cortex, the frontal operculum, and the pons, while the change in pain is primarily encoded in the anterior insular cortex. At an individual level, each patient has their own unique signature of pain encoding, enhancing the understanding of chronic pain as a complex and multifaceted disease.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hee Jung Kim, Min Gi Ban, Kyung Bong Yoon, Woohyuk Jeon, Shin Hyung Kim
Summary: The relationship between muscle strength and neuropathic-like pain symptoms in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain was evaluated. The study found that lower handgrip strength was independently associated with symptoms suggestive of neuropathic pain, particularly in female patients. However, there was no difference in estimated muscle mass. Shorter duration of pain, opioid usage, pain in lower limbs, sleep disturbance, and lower handgrip strength were significantly related to neuropathic-like pain symptoms.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Daniela Mauceri
Summary: Pain is an unpleasant sensation resulting from tissue damage, and when it persists after the injury has resolved, it becomes pathological. The transition from acute to chronic pain involves plasticity events along the neural pathways and alterations in gene expression. Epigenetic mechanisms play a crucial role in these adaptive processes in the nervous system.
Article
Anesthesiology
Elizabeth Lane, John S. Magel, Anne Thackeray, Tom Greene, Nora F. Fino, Emilio J. Puentedura, Adriaan Louw, Daniel Maddox, Julie M. Fritz
Summary: Pain neuroscience education did not result in significant functional changes in patients with chronic spinal pain compared to usual care, but did show significant improvement in pain self-efficacy.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ingrid Schuttert, Hans Timmerman, Gerbrand J. Groen, Kristian Kjaer Petersen, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Andre P. Wolff
Summary: This study aims to identify the presence of central sensitisation in patients with chronic low back pain radiating to the leg, and to determine its association with the effect of selective nerve root blocks and compare outcomes with healthy volunteers. The primary study parameters are quantitative sensory testing (QST) and the Central Sensitisation Inventory. The results of this study will be disseminated through publications and conferences.
