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Migraine headache is a pain condition characterized by severe and recurrent unilateral head pain. Among other mechanisms, central pain sensitization processes seem to be involved in the disorder. An experimental protocol based on slowly repeated evoked pain (SREP) has been shown to indicate pain sensitization in fibromyalgia patients and differentiate these patients from healthy individuals and rheumatoid arthritis patients. This study examined SREP sensitization in migraine patients and explored its potential usefulness as a central sensitization marker. The SREP protocol was administered to 40 episodic migraine (EM) patients not currently experiencing a headache and 40 healthy controls. SREP consisted of a series of 9 suprathreshold painful pressure stimuli of 5 s duration and a 30 s interstimulus interval. SREP sensitization was indexed by the increase in pain ratings across the stimuli. Pain threshold, pain tolerance and temporal summation of pain were also assessed. SREP sensitization was observed in EM, but not in healthy individuals (p < .001). SREP differentiated between EM and healthy individuals with up to 75% diagnostic accuracy. Pain threshold, pain tolerance and temporal summation of pain did not show significant discriminative ability. An SREP index value of 0.5 was the most sensitive cut-off for detecting central pain sensitization when prioritizing diagnostic sensitivity (0.88). Results provide evidence for SREP as a possible central sensitization marker with potential clinical utility in migraine patients. Inclusion of SREP in Quantitative Sensory Testing protocols may enhance the assessment of altered pain modulation in different pain conditions.
Learn More >Increasing evidence points towards the role of mitochondrial functioning, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress in migraine. However not all previous research has been conclusive and some mitochondrial function/oxidative stress markers have not yet been examined. To this end, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), total thiols, total plasma antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid peroxide (PerOx), oxidised LDL (oxLDL), HbA1c and lactate were determined in the serum of 32 higher frequency episodic migraineurs (5-14 migraine days/ months, 19 with aura, 28 females) in this cross-sectional study. The majority of patients had abnormally low ALA and lactate levels (87.5% and 78.1%, respectively). 46.9% of the patients had abnormally high PerOx values, while for thiols and TAC over one third of patients had abnormally low values (31.2% and 37.5%, respectively). 21.9% of patients had abnormally low HbA1c and none had an HbA1c level above 5.6%. oxLDL was normal in all but one patient. This study provides further evidence for a role of oxidative stress and altered metabolism in migraine pathophysiology, which might represent a suitable therapeutic target. ALA, being too low in almost 90% of patients, might represent a potential biomarker for migraine. Further research is needed to replicate these results, in particular a comparison with a control group.This study is part of the trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03132233, registered on 27.04.2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03132233 .
Learn More >Intranasal high flow of dehumidified (dry) air results in evaporative cooling of nasal passages. In this randomized clinical trial, we investigated the effect of dry gas induced nasal cooling on migraine headaches.
Learn More >Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (SKOA) is a chronic, disabling condition, requiring long-term pain management; over 800,000 SKOA patients in the USA use opioids chronically. We aim to characterize the societal economic burden of opioid use in this population.
Learn More >The clinical efficacy of migraine therapeutic agents directed towards the calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) pathway has confirmed the key role of this axis in migraine pathogenesis. Three antibodies against CGRP – fremanezumab, galcanezumab and eptinezumab – and one antibody against the CGRP receptor, erenumab, are clinically approved therapeutics for the prevention of migraine. In addition, two small molecule CGRP receptor antagonists, ubrogepant and rimegepant, are approved for acute migraine treatment. Targeting either the CGRP ligand or receptor is efficacious for migraine treatment; however, a comparison of the mechanism of action of these therapeutic agents is lacking in the literature.
Learn More >Chronic pain commonly occurs in people living with HIV (PLWH). Many PLWH in the United States obtain opioids for chronic pain management. Whether insomnia severity and depressive symptoms are exacerbated by chronic pain and opioid use in PLWH remains to be determined. This study examined insomnia severity and depressive symptoms in 85 PLWH with chronic pain and 35 PLWH without chronic pain. Among PLWH with chronic pain, reported opioid use was examined in relation to insomnia severity and depressive symptoms. PLWH with chronic pain reported significantly greater insomnia severity ( = .033) and depressive symptoms ( = .025) than PLWH without chronic pain. Among PLWH with chronic pain who reported opioid use ( = 36), insomnia severity was greater compared to those who denied opioid use ( = 49), even after controlling for pain severity and number of comorbidities ( = .026). Greater pain severity was significantly associated with greater insomnia severity ( < .001) and depressive symptoms ( = .048) among PLWH with chronic pain who reported opioid use. These associations were not significant among those PLWH with chronic pain who denied opioid use. Findings suggest that PLWH with chronic pain are likely to experience poor sleep and depressed mood. Furthermore, poor sleep was associated with opioid use among PLWH with chronic pain.
Learn More >Evidence suggests that blunted reward responsiveness may account for poor clinical outcomes in both opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain. Understanding how individuals with OUD and comorbid chronic pain (OUD+CP) respond to rewards is, therefore, of clinical interest because it may reveal a potential point of behavioral intervention.
Learn More >VVZ-149 is a small molecule that both inhibits the glycine transporter type 2 and the serotonin receptor 5 hydroxytryptamine 2 A. In a randomized, parallel-group, and double-blind trial (NCT02844725), we investigated the analgesic efficacy and safety of VVZ-149 Injections, which is under clinical development as a single-use injectable product for treating moderate to severe postoperative pain.
Learn More >Sensitization in office workers with chronic neck pain in different pain conditions and intensities.
Office workers with chronic neck pain demonstrates signs of widespread hyperalgesia, less efficient descending pain modulation, which could indicate sensitization of central pain pathways. No studies have assessed a wide variety of office workers with different chronic neck pain disorders and assessed the impact of pain intensity on assessments of central pain pathways. This study aimed to assessed pressure pain thresholds (PPTs), temporal summation of pain (TSP) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and to associate these with pain intensity and disability in subgroups of office workers.
Learn More >Driving is one of the most widespread aspects of daily living to people in the United States and is an active process that requires various cognitive functions, such as attention. Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the more prevalent and costly health conditions in the world, with individuals who report CLBP also reporting significant impairment across different domains of daily life both physically and cognitively. However, despite the prevalence of these two constructs, research detailing the experience of driving in pain remains largely underrepresented. This cross-sectional study sought to characterize the driving experience of people who experience CLBP, focusing on the psychological constructs related to chronic pain like pain catastrophizing, affective responses (irritability, anxiety, fear), and self-reported driving behaviors and outcomes.
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