Browse by Audience
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is functionally linked to the descending pain modulation system and has been implicated in top down pain inhibition, including placebo analgesia. Therefore, functions of the dlPFC may be impaired in patients with chronic pain. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of several syndromes with chronic neuropathic pain. In the present study, we investigated possible dysfunction of the dlPFC in chronic pain using patients with PHN. In a conditioning phase, heathy controls (n = 15) and patients with PHN (n = 7) were exposed to low (LF) and high (HF) frequency tones associated with noxious stimuli: weak (WS) and strong (SS) electrical stimulation, respectively. After the conditioning, cerebral hemodynamic activity was recorded from the bilateral dlPFC while the subjects were subjected to the cue tone-noxious electrical stimulation paradigm, in which incorrectly cued noxious stimuli were sometimes delivered to induce placebo and nocebo effects. The results indicated that hemodynamic responses to the LF tone in the right dlPFC was significantly lower in patients with PHN compared to the healthy controls. Furthermore, the same hemodynamic responses in the right dlPFC were correlated with placebo effects. In addition, clinical symptoms of PHN were negatively correlated to cerebral hemodynamic responses in the right dlPFC and magnitudes of the placebo effects. The results suggest that the right dlPFC, which is closely associated with the descending pain modulation system, is disturbed in PHN.
Learn More >Studies in rodents suggest that cutaneous beta-2 adrenoceptors (β2-ARs) mediate inflammation and pain after tissue injury and that inflammation and peripheral nerve injury trigger increases in neuronal β2-AR expression. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of β2-ARs on keratinocytes and dermal nerves in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
Learn More >Central neuropathic pain (CNP) often appears following spinal cord injury (SCI), but current treatments are not always successful. In this study, we evaluated the analgesic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied over the hand area of the motor cortex in patients with acute CNP after SCI.
Learn More >While alterations in spinal kinematics have been repeatedly observed in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients, their exact nature is still unknown. Specifically, there is a need for comprehensive assessments of multi-segment spinal angles during daily-life activities. The purpose of this exploratory study was to characterize three-dimensional angles at the lower lumbar, upper lumbar, lower thoracic and upper thoracic joints in CLBP patients and asymptomatic controls during stepping up with three different step heights. Spinal angles of 10 patients with non-specific CLBP (6 males; 38.7±7.2 years old; 22.3±1.6 kg/m ) and 11 asymptomatic individuals (6 males; 36.7±5.4 years old; 22.9±3.8 kg/m ) were measured in a laboratory using a camera-based motion capture system. Seven out of the 12 angle curves had characteristic patterns, leading to the identification of 20 characteristic peaks. Comparing peak amplitudes between groups revealed statistically significantly smaller sagittal- and frontal-plane angles in the patient group at the upper lumbar joint with the two higher steps and at the lower lumbar joint with the higher step. Significantly reduced angles were also observed in sagittal-plane at the upper thoracic joint with the two smaller steps. Moreover, a higher number of significant differences between groups was detected with the two higher steps than with the smallest step. In conclusion, this study showed the value of a comprehensive description of spinal angles during step-up tasks and provided insights into the alterations with CLBP. These preliminary results support prior research suggesting that CLBP rehabilitation should facilitate larger amplitudes of motion during functional activities. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Learn More >We conducted focus groups in people who had participated in mobile health (mHealth) studies of behavioral interventions for migraine to better understand: (a) Participant experience in the recruitment/enrollment process; (b) participant experience during the studies themselves; (c) ideas for improving participant experience for future studies.
Learn More >To prioritize outcome domains sensitive to the needs of the various stakeholders involved in rehabilitation programs designed for youth with pain-related disability using the International Classification of Function Child and Youth version.
Learn More >Postoperative analgesia is paramount to recovery following thoracic surgery, and opioids play an invaluable role in this process. Yet, current one-size-fits-all prescribing practices produce large quantities of unused opioids, increasing the risk of nonmedical use and overdose. Here, we hypothesized that patient and perioperative characteristics, including 24-hour before discharge opioid intake, could inform more appropriate post-discharge prescriptions after thoracic surgery.
Learn More >The purpose of this study is to determine the association between presence of chronic pain and school functioning among school aged children (6-17▒y) using the most recent United States national data.
Learn More >Often concussion/mTBI triggers a chronic headache syndrome called persistent post-traumatic headache (P-PTH) that can last from months to years post-injury, and produce significant disruption of childhood education, social interaction and development. Although prevalent and highly disabling, P-PTH is underrepresented in headache and pain research and lacks clear definition and pathophysiology. Clinical presentation of P-PTH frequently resembles that of other headache disorders, like migraine, yet the pathophysiological mechanisms are distinct and not fully understood, making the disorder difficult to treat in the clinical setting.
Learn More >