European journal of pain : EJP
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Sensory profiling in neuropathic pain using quantitative sensory testing (QST) has not been extended to central neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury (SCI). This study aims to fill this gap by evaluating sensory profiles in patients with neuropathic SCI pain. ⋯ The evaluation of sensory phenotypes by quantitative sensory testing in central neuropathic pain due to SCI adds a new perspective on sensory phenotypes in comparison to peripheral neuropathic pain. The described thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia combination might represent involvement of the spinothalamic tract. In addition, there was a trend towards older age and longer time since injury in patients with loss of function.
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The lead symptom of small fibre neuropathy (SFN) is neuropathic pain. Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have indicated central changes in SFN patients of different etiologies. However, less is known about brain functional connectivity during acute pain processing in idiopathic SFN. ⋯ We found increased functional connectivity between SMA and thalamus during painful stimulation in patients with idiopathic SFN. Connectivity correlated significantly with intraepidermal nerve fibre density, suggesting a link between peripheral and central pain processing. Our findings emphasize the importance of investigating functional connectivity changes as a potential feature of SFN.
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Painful neuropathy is a pathological condition caused by numerous factors including diabetes, chemotherapy or cancer. ART26.12 is a novel fatty acid-binding protein 5 inhibitor, which our group showed could prevent and treat persistent pain in a preclinical model of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy. ⋯ This work now shows that ART26.12, a novel and selective inhibitor of FABP5, can prevent and treat multiple preclinical models of peripheral neuropathy. Given its excellent safety profile, further work is warranted to develop ART26.12 as a potential therapeutic tool for pain management.
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Trunk co-contraction during lifting may reflect a guarded motor response to a threatening task. This work estimated the impact of pain catastrophizing on trunk co-contraction during lifting, in people with and without low back pain. ⋯ This work contributes evidence that people with back pain commonly exhibit trunk co-contraction when lifting. The lack of a relationship between pain catastrophizing and trunk co-contraction, however, challenges evidence linking psychological factors and guarded motor behaviour in this group. Together, this suggests that other factors may be stronger determinants of co-contraction in people with LBP or that a general construct like pain catastrophizing may not accurately represent this relationship.
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This study examines the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on psychological measures and attentional patterns to pain stimuli, using eye-tracking methods, in individuals with chronic pain. ⋯ This study pioneers the use of eye-tracking to examine how MBSR influences attention in chronic back pain. While the program improved psychological well-being, it did not generally alter attentional patterns, except for an increased ability to maintain attention across stimuli. We discuss whether this attentional change could be associated with the increased acceptance observed in the MBSR program.