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Papers of the Week


Papers: 26 Aug 2023 - 1 Sep 2023

RESEARCH TYPE:
Review


Human Studies, Neurobiology, Sex Differences


2023 Aug 09


Cells


37626838


12


16

Sexual Dimorphism in the Mechanism of Pain Central Sensitization.

Authors

Barcelon E, Chung S, Lee J, Lee SJ

Abstract

It has long been recognized that men and women have different degrees of susceptibility to chronic pain. Greater recognition of the sexual dimorphism in chronic pain has resulted in increasing numbers of both clinical and preclinical studies that have identified factors and mechanisms underlying sex differences in pain sensitization. Here, we review sexually dimorphic pain phenotypes in various research animal models and factors involved in the sex difference in pain phenotypes. We further discuss putative mechanisms for the sexual dimorphism in pain sensitization, which involves sex hormones, spinal cord microglia, and peripheral immune cells. Elucidating the sexually dimorphic mechanism of pain sensitization may provide important clinical implications and aid the development of sex-specific therapeutic strategies to treat chronic pain.