Associations between pain catastrophizing and resting-state functional brain connectivity: Ethnic/race group differences in persons with chronic knee pain

Pain catastrophizing in rheumatic diseases: prevalence, origin, and implications

Pain is a crucial factor in rheumatic disorders, and reducing it is a primary goal of successful treatment. Adaptive pain-coping strategies can enhance this improvement, but maladaptive approaches such as pain catastrophizing may worsen overall patient well-being. This narrative review aims to provide a concise overview of the existing knowledge on pain catastrophizing in the most prevalent specific rheumatic disorders. The objective of this study was to improve understanding of this phenomenon and its implications, as well as to pinpoint potential directions for future research. We conducted searches in the MEDLINE/PubMed, SCOPUS, and DOAJ bibliography databases to identify articles related to pain catastrophizing in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondylarthritis, systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and osteoarthritis (non-surgical treatment). Data extraction was performed on November 1, 2023. The investigators screened the identified articles to determine their relevance and whether they met the inclusion criteria. Following a bibliography search, which was further expanded by screening of citations and references, we included 156 records in the current review. The full-text analysis centred on pain catastrophizing, encompassing its prevalence, pathogenesis, and impact. The review established the role of catastrophizing in amplifying pain and diminishing various aspects of general well-being. Also, potential treatment approaches were discussed and summarised across the examined disorders. Pain catastrophizing is as a significant factor in rheumatic disorders. Its impact warrants further exploration through prospective controlled trials to enhance global patient outcomes.

Age-associated changes in multimodal pain perception

BACKGROUND

Pain sensitivity varies across multimodal somatosensory stimuli that can rely on different conductive fibres, which, when damaged, will lead to neuropathies. However, there is limited research examining the characteristics of perceived pain, particularly as affected by the ageing process, as induced by various somatosensory stimuli that may rely on small or large fibres.

METHODS

Using heat and pressure stimuli on small and large fibres separately on both younger and older adults, this study examined age-associated changes in pain perception by measuring self-reported pain sensitivity, pain threshold and pain discriminability.

RESULTS

Heat pain threshold was significantly positively correlated with age, but not pressure pain threshold. Pain threshold increased and pain discriminability decreased in response to heat stimuli in the older participants compared with the younger ones.

CONCLUSION

An age-associated decline in heat pain perception was observed, suggesting an earlier degradation of heat perception. These findings provide new insight into understanding and assessing somatosensory disorders, which can help ageing populations better maintain healthy sensory functioning.

Pain Catastrophizing: How Far Have We Come

The perception of pain is strongly influenced by various social, emotional, and cognitive factors. A psychological variable which has consistently been shown to exert its influence on pain is a cognitive process referred to as pain catastrophizing. Numerous studies have found it to be a strong predictor of pain intensity and disability across different clinical populations. It signifies a maladaptive response to pain marked by an exaggerated negative assessment, magnification of symptoms related to pain, and, in general, a tendency to experience marked pain-related worry, as well as experiencing feelings of helplessness when it comes to dealing with pain. Pain catastrophizing has been correlated to many adverse pain-related outcomes, including poor treatment response, unsatisfactory quality of life, and high disability related to both acute and chronic pain. Furthermore, there has been consistent evidence in support of a correlation between pain catastrophizing and mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge regarding pain catastrophizing, with special emphasis on its clinical significance, and emerging treatment modalities which target it.

Acupuncture-Related Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Narrative Review of Neuroimaging Studies

Acupuncture has been widely applied for treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Numerous studies have found that acupuncture can effectively alleviate KOA symptoms. With the advancement of neuroimaging techniques, integrating neuroimaging with in-depth investigations of acupuncture mechanisms has emerged as a hot topic in traditional Chinese medical neuroscience research. This review aimed to analyze the study design and main findings from neuroimaging studies of acupuncture-related therapy for KOA to provide a reference for future research. Original studies were sourced from English databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) and Chinese databases (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chongqing VIP database, and Wanfang database). As a result, thirteen articles were ultimately included in this review. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was the most frequently used neuroimaging technique to explore cerebral responses to acupuncture-related therapy for KOA. Findings suggested that acupuncture-related therapy could regulate some brain regions in patients with KOA. Specifically, for acupuncture, it showed that the medial pain pathway and the limbic system were involved in the regulation of KOA. Meanwhile, moxibustion induced a wide range of functional activity throughout the entire brain.

Underrepresentation of Non-White Participants in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Guidelines for Surgical Management of Knee Osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to examine the racial and ethnic representation in studies included in the 2015 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Surgical Management of the Knee Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline relative to their representation of the United States (US).

METHODS

The demographic characteristics reported in articles included in the 2015 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Surgical Management of the Knee Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline were analyzed. The primary outcome of interest was the representation quotient, which is the ratio of the proportion of a racial/ethnic group in the guideline studies relative to their proportion in the US. There were 211 studies included, of which 15 (7%) reported race. There were 35 studies based in the US and 7 of the US-based studies reported race.

RESULTS

No US-based studies reported race and ethnicity separately, no studies reported American Indian/Alaska Native participants and no US-based studies reported Asian participants. The representation quotient of US-based studies was 0.66 for Black participants, 0.33 for Hispanic participants, and 1.30 for White participants, which indicates a relative over-representation of White participants compared to national proportions.

CONCLUSION

This study illustrated that the evidence base for the surgical management of knee osteoarthritis has been constructed from studies which fail to consider race and ethnicity. Of those US-based studies which do report race or ethnicity, study cohorts do not reflect the US population. These results illustrate a disparity in clinical orthopedic surgical evidence and highlight the need for improved research recruitment strategies.

Development of EEG connectivity from preschool to school-age children

Introduction

Many studies have collected normative developmental EEG data to better understand brain function in early life and associated changes during both aging and pathology. Higher cognitive functions of the brain do not normally stem from the workings of a single brain region that works but, rather, on the interaction between different brain regions. In this regard studying the connectivity between brain regions is of great importance towards understanding higher cognitive functions and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods

In this study, EEG data of children (N = 253; 3-10 years old; 113 females, 140 males) from pre-school to schoolage was collected, and the weighted phase delay index and directed transfer function method was used to find the electrophysiological indicators of both functional connectivity and effective connectivity. A general linear model was built between the indicators and age, and the change trend of electrophysiological indicators analyzed for age.

Results

The results showed an age trend for the functional and effective connectivity of the brain of children.

Discussion

The results are of importance in understanding normative brain development and in defining those conditions that deviate from typical growth trajectories.

Environmental and sociocultural factors are associated with pain-related brain structure among diverse individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Previous research indicates ethnic/race groups are disproportionately affected by chronic pain conditions. However, when considering socioenvironmental factors these disparities are no longer observed. Ethnic/race group differences have also been reported in pain-related brain structure. Given that environmental and sociocultural factors influence biology and health outcomes, this study aimed to investigate possible environmental and sociocultural contributions to structural differences in pain-related brain regions. A total of 147 non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white, middle and older aged adults with knee pain in the past month and a brain MRI are included in the analyses. Individuals also provided information specific to health and pain history and environmental and sociocultural resources. In hierarchical multiple regression models, sociocultural and environmental factors explained 6%-37% of the variance in thickness of pain-related brain regions, with seven of the eight brain regions being statistically significant. In the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, bilateral primary somatosensory cortex, and thalamus, ethnicity/race provided an additional 4%-13% of explanatory value. In the rostral/caudal anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ethnicity/race was not a predictor after accounting for environmental, sociocultural, and other demographic measures. Findings inform health disparities research by elucidating the complexity of factors contributing to previously reported ethnicity/race group differences.