Pain
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Development and application of psychophysical test paradigms to assess endogenous pain modulation in healthy controls and in patients yielded large body of data over the last 2 decades. These tests can assist in predicting pain acquisition, in characterizing pain syndromes and related dysfunctions of pain modulation, and in predicting response to treatment. This chapter reviews the development of thought on pain modulation in the clinical setup, focusing on conditioned pain modulation, and update on accumulated data regarding the mechanism, protocols of administration, and applications in the clinic.
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Concussion after a force to the head is called mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Approximately 1 in 5 patients with mTBI will develop chronic pain (headache and widespread pain, possibly of central origin) and/or sleep problems (insomnia, disordered breathing, periodic limb movements). However, the predisposing mechanisms for chronic pain in patients with mTBI are unknown. ⋯ Customized approaches are indicated for mTBI, pain, and sleep complaints. Further studies in pediatric, sport, and transportation populations are needed to prevent TBI chronification. Improvements are emerging in biomarker sensitivity and specificity and management strategies for TBI, pain, and sleep comorbidities.
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This review presents a general model for the understanding of pain, placebo, and chronification of pain in the framework of cognitive neuroscience. The concept of a computational cost-function underlying the functional imaging responses to placebo manipulations is put forward and demonstrated to be compatible with the placebo literature including data that demonstrate that placebo responses as seen on the behavioural level may be elicited on all levels of the neuroaxis. In the same vein, chronification of pain is discussed as a consequence of brain mechanisms for learning and expectation. ⋯ Women are greatly overrepresented in patients with chronic pain. Hence, both from a general standpoint and from reasons of health equity, it is of essence to advance research and care efforts. Success in these efforts will only be granted with better theoretical concepts of chronic pain mechanisms that maps into the framework of cognitive neuroscience.
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Chronic visceral pain syndromes are important clinical problems with largely unmet medical needs. Based on the common overlap with other chronic disorders of visceral or somatic pain, mood and affect, and their responsiveness to centrally targeted treatments, an important role of central nervous system in their pathophysiology is likely. A growing number of brain imaging studies in irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, and bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis has identified abnormalities in evoked brain responses, resting state activity, and connectivity, as well as in gray and white matter properties. ⋯ Some of these changes show moderate correlations with behavioral and clinical measures. Most recently, data-driven machine-learning approaches to larger data sets have been able to classify visceral pain syndromes from healthy control subjects. Future studies need to identify the mechanisms underlying the altered brain signatures of chronic visceral pain and identify targets for therapeutic interventions.
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The failure to translate research evidence into day-to-day clinical practices is identified as a significant reason for suboptimal quality care across the health system, including procedural pain management in children. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been developed to assist in this process by synthesizing and interpreting research evidence for end users. Numerous CPGs have been developed for procedural pain management in children, yet gaps persist in the adoption of best practices. ⋯ Specific areas that will be addressed include partnerships with stakeholders, rigor of guideline development, issues of implementation, and editorial independence. The work of HELPinKIDS was guided by a KT map, which identified, at a high level, the target audiences, key messages, tools, and strategies that could be used to communicate, disseminate, and implement the CPG into diverse settings. Examples of impact at both the individual and systems levels from HELPinKIDS KT activities are also presented.