Browse by Audience
Unlike motor symptoms, the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on non-motor symptoms associated with dystonia remain unknown.
Learn More >To evaluate gender differences in clinical characteristics of migraine by examining presence and severity of cutaneous allodynia, migraine-related disability, neck pain and its associated disability, passive mobility of the upper cervical spine, and performance of the deep neck flexor muscles.
Learn More >Cognitive impairment and chronic pain are amongst the most prevalent neurological sequelae of HIV infection, yet little is understood about the potential bidirectional relationship between the two conditions. Cognitive dysfunction can occur in chronic pain populations whilst those with cognitive impairment can display modified responses to experimentally induced painful stimuli. To date, this has not been explored in HIV cohorts.This study aimed to identify any contribution of chronic pain to cognitive impairment in HIV and to determine differences in pain characteristics between those with and without cognitive dysfunction.This was an observational cohort study involving people living with HIV ( = 148) in the United Kingdom. Participants underwent validated questionnaire-based measurement of pain severity, interference and symptom quality as well as conditioned pain modulation and quantitative sensory testing. All participants completed a computer-based cognitive function assessment.Fifty-seven participants met the criteria for cognitive impairment and 73 for chronic pain. The cognitive impairment group had a higher prevalence of chronic pain ( = 0.004) and reported more neuropathic symptoms ( = 0.001). Those with chronic pain performed less well in emotional recognition and verbal learning domains. The interaction identified between chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction warrants further exploration to identify causal links or shared pathology.
Learn More >Chronic pain is not well understood in opioid-dependent populations. We report the prevalence of chronic pain and pain characteristics in an opioid-dependent population by treatment type and gender.
Learn More >Management of chronic pain is an essential aspect of HIV primary care. Previous literature in the general population has elucidated racial disparities in the evaluation and treatment of pain. This study examined racial/ethnic differences in patient satisfaction and barriers to pain management among a cohort of PWH receiving LTOT.
Learn More >About a third of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from chronic and excruciating central neuropathic pain (CNP). The mechanism underlying CNP in MS is not clear, since previous studies are scarce and their results are inconsistent. Our aim was to determine whether CNP in MS is associated with impairment of the spinothalamic-thalamocortical pathways (STTCs) and/or increased excitability of the pain system.
Learn More >The opioid crisis creates challenges for cancer pain management. Acupuncture confers clinical benefits for chronic nonmalignant pain, but its effectiveness in cancer survivors remains uncertain.
Learn More >There is a clear need for novel and improved therapeutic strategies for alleviating chronic neuropathic pain, as well as a need for better understanding of brain mechanisms of neuropathic pain, which are less understood than spinal and peripheral mechanisms. The G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55), is a lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI)-sensitive receptor that has also been involved in cannabinoid signaling. It is expressed throughout the central nervous system, including the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a brainstem area and key element of the descending pain control system. Behaviors, pharmacology, biochemistry tools, and stereotaxic microinjections were used to determine if GPR55 plays a role in pain control in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) neuropathic pain model in rats. It was found that the blockade of GPR55 action in the PAG can restore and drive a descending control system to mitigate neuropathic pain. Our data demonstrate that GPR55 play a role in the descending pain control system, and identify GPR55 at supraspinal level as a neuropathic pain brain mechanism.
Learn More >Monoclonal antibodies targeting CGRP or its receptor (anti-CGRP mAbs) are proven to be effective treatments in migraine prevention. Real-world evidence studies assessing their efficacy are scarce.
Learn More >Despite application of multimodal pain management strategies, patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery frequently report severe postoperative pain. Methadone and ketamine, which are N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, have been documented to facilitate postoperative pain control. This study therefore tested the primary hypothesis that patients recovering from spinal fusion surgery who are given ketamine and methadone use less hydromorphone on the first postoperative day than those give methadone alone.
Learn More >