Mood Spectrum Disorders and Perception of Pain

Cross-sectional study of psychiatric disorders in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and individuals without pain

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal chronic pain is a leading cause of global disability and laboral incapacity. However, there is a lack of population-based studies that investigate the relationship between chronic pain and mental disorders with a control group, particularly among low- and middle-income countries. Chronic pain is a serious public health problem in terms of human suffering, and in terms of socioeconomic implications. Frequent association with different mental disorders increases disability, decreases quality of life, and makes diagnosis and treatment challenging. The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of mental disorders in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and compare with a control group without pain.

METHODS

We selected 100 patients in a regular follow-up at the Musculoskeletal Pain Outpatient Clinic of the University Hospital and compared them with 100 painless individuals from the control group from June 2016 to June 2018. The instruments used were the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-PLUS) and a structured questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data. Statistical analysis used t-test, chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney, Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, and multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

In the sample evaluated, the majority of patients were women (83%), of brown color (54%), with lower-level education (51%), lower salary range (73%) and high absenteeism rate at work (60,7%). Patients with chronic pain had more psychiatric disorders (88% vs. 48% in the control group; p < 0.001). The most frequent diagnoses were anxiety disorders with panic attacks (44%), generalized anxiety (36%), mixed anxiety and depression disorder (33%), social phobia (30%), agoraphobia (29%), suicide risk (28%), and major depression (27%).

CONCLUSION

Positive correlations of mental disorders and chronic musculoskeletal pain have been documented. This suggests that psychiatric components must be taken into account in the management of chronic pain syndromes. The use of Mini Plus as a diagnostic tool for psychiatric disorders can contribute to optimizing the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic pain and encourage the creation of policies with strategies and criteria for quick access to Multi-professional Services.

Water temperature during the cold pressor test: A scoping review

The cold pressor test (CPT) is a commonly used method to induce pain and stress in experimental settings. Previous research has found that the temperature of the water used in the test significantly affects outcome measures such as pain tolerance. Variations in CPT protocols, specifically regarding temperature, have been criticized. Hence, our objective is to investigate water temperature and associated methodological factors through a scoping review of the CPT in adults. Among 331 included trials, the most commonly reported temperature was 1°C (33.8°F). Reporting of the water temperature was adequate (93% of all trials), but a precise range within which the temperature was maintained was reported only in 27% of all trials. Pain measurement was the primary focus for most studies (90%), predominantly utilizing pain tolerance as the main outcome (78%). Water circulation was reported in 44% of studies, and 10% reported manually agitating the water. The most common maximum immersion time (i.e., ceiling time) was 180 s; notably, 64% of trials lacked information on participant awareness of this limit specification. The limb most immersed was the hand (76%). Overall, multiple methodological factors significantly impacting outcome measures were inconsistently implemented or reported. For future studies, we advocate for precise standardization of the water temperature used during the CPT. We suggest using 1°C (33.8°F), especially when assessing pain tolerance. A cooling apparatus allowing precise temperature control and continuous water circulation is advised. At the bare minimum, the temperature should be monitored continuously. While other decisions regarding the implementation of the CPT may differ depending on the specific aims of the respective study, it remains essential to standardize the water temperature and to provide a comprehensive report of the experimental protocol.

Prevalence of suicidal behavior in patients with chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Objective

Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability, severely impairing an individual's daily activity and quality of life. In addition, this condition may contribute to suicidal thoughts by leading to neuropsychological impairments, a perceived lack of meaning in life, and pain-related catastrophizing. This systematic review aimed to comprehensively investigate the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal behaviors (SBs) including suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA) or its complete, in individuals with chronic pain.

Methods

Five electronic databases were searched up to October 4, 2022. Only observational studies investigating the prevalence of SB in individuals with chronic pain were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement. A meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the prevalence of SB in the population, and the command "Metaprop" was used in STATA/MP 16. In addition, factors explaining the association between chronic pain and SB identified through regression analysis were investigated.

Results

A total of 19 studies were included in this review (N = 3,312,343). The pooled lifetime prevalence of SI and SA was 28.90% (95% confidence interval, 17.95 to 41.26%) and 10.83% (5.72 to 17.30%), respectively, in a mixed sample comprising various chronic pain conditions. Importantly, the pooled prevalence of past 2-week SI was as high as 25.87% (18.09 to 34.50%). The methodological quality of the included studies was not optimal, and studies using validated SB assessment tools were lacking. Potential protective factors against SB in this population included pain coping and self-efficacy, older age, certain race/ethnicity groups, and marriage.

Conclusion

This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated the high prevalence of SB in individuals with chronic pain. Specifically, around 1 in 4 individuals with chronic pain had SI within the last 2 weeks. However, there was considerable heterogeneity in the pooled prevalence of SB in this population.

Role of Personality and Psychiatric Disorders in the Perception of Pain

Although previous studies have shown that psychiatric and personality disorders are more prevalent in chronic pain than in pain-free groups, few studies have investigated the prevalence of personality disorders (PerDs) in patients with chronic pain with and without a psychiatric comorbidity. The aim of the present study was therefore designed to investigate the burden of PerDs on the prevalence and perception of chronic pain in patients with and without psychiatric comorbidity. 232 patients from the Gift Institute for Integrative Medicine in Pisa, Italy, of which n = 161 (69.4%) were patients with chronic pain, were administered the SCID II for personality disorders and MINI for DSM IV-TR criteria. Both psychiatric and personality disorders were more prevalent in the chronic pain group than in the pain-free group (χ2 = 5.9, p = .015, φ = .16; χ2 = 7.2, p = .007, φ = .18). Cluster A and C PerDs were more prevalent in patients with chronic pain than in subjects without pain (χ2 = 8.1, p = .004, φ = .19; χ2 = 4.7, p = .030, φ = .14, respectively). Unlike Cluster C PerDs, however, Cluster A PerDs were more prevalent in the absence of psychiatric comorbidity (χ2 = 5.0, p = .024, φ = .29), and by themselves worsened the pain perceived. An appropriate PerD diagnosis can be helpful in the treatment of patients with chronic pain.

From Low-Grade Inflammation in Osteoarthritis to Neuropsychiatric Sequelae: A Narrative Review

Nowadays, osteoarthritis (OA), a common, multifactorial musculoskeletal disease, is considered to have a low-grade inflammatory pathogenetic component. Lately, neuropsychiatric sequelae of the disease have gained recognition. However, a link between the peripheral inflammatory process of OA and the development of neuropsychiatric pathology is not completely understood. In this review, we provide a narrative that explores the development of neuropsychiatric disease in the presence of chronic peripheral low-grade inflammation with a focus on its signaling to the brain. We describe the development of a pro-inflammatory environment in the OA-affected joint. We discuss inflammation-signaling pathways that link the affected joint to the central nervous system, mainly using primary sensory afferents and blood circulation via circumventricular organs and cerebral endothelium. The review describes molecular and cellular changes in the brain, recognized in the presence of chronic peripheral inflammation. In addition, changes in the volume of gray matter and alterations of connectivity important for the assessment of the efficacy of treatment in OA are discussed in the given review. Finally, the narrative considers the importance of the use of neuropsychiatric diagnostic tools for a disease with an inflammatory component in the clinical setting.

Pain sensitivity is modulated by affective temperament: Results from the population-based CHRIS Affective Disorder (CHRIS-AD) study

BACKGROUND

Nociceptive pain modulation is related to psychological and psychiatric conditions. Evidence from clinical studies backs innate temperaments as potential precursors of mood symptoms and disorders, and pain sensitivity. Our study examines the modulation effect of affective temperaments on pain sensitivity in a general population adult sample, accounting for possible intervening mood symptoms, lifetime anxiety and depression, and pain treatments.

METHODS

The sample is part of the CHRIS-AD study, Italy. Primary outcomes were the pain sensitivity questionnaire PSQ-total intensity score and the experimental pressure pain threshold (PPT). Affective temperaments were evaluated with the TEMPS-M. Lifetime depression, anxiety, current mood disorders, and treatments were self-reported via rating-scales. Directed acyclic graphs theory guided linear and mixed linear regression model analyses.

RESULTS

Among 3804 participants (aged 18-65; response rate 78.4 %, females 53.3 %, mean age 38.4 years) for any given temperament, both the PSQ-total and the PPT were associated with temperament. The TEMPS-M four cyclothymic-related temperaments aligned on the pain-sensitive pole and the hyperthymic on the pain-resilient pole. The inclusion of current or lifetime mood symptoms, or pain drug use, as possible intervening pathways only partly diluted these associations, with stronger evidence for an effect of trait anxiety.

LIMITATIONS

The main limitations were the lack of experimental measures of suprathreshold pain intensity perception, and detailed information on affective disorders in the study population.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support the hypothesis of a biological dichotomous diathesis of affective temperaments towards pain sensitivity; hyperthymic suggesting protection, whereas cyclothymic suggesting predisposition.

Pain in the bipolar disorder: prevalence, characteristics and relationship with suicide risk

Objective:

to know the prevalence and characteristics of pain, to verify how pain management has been carried out by the health services, and to correlate suicide risk with pain intensity in patients with bipolar disorder.

Method:

an observational study with a quantitative approach. The study included people with bipolar disorder assessed by the McGill-Reduced Pain Questionnaire, Body Diagram, Visual Numerical Scale, and the Suicidal Ideation Scale (Beck).

Results:

the sample of 60 participants was mainly composed of women with a mean age of 40 years old and a mean psychiatric treatment time of approximately 13 years. Of these, 83% reported feeling pain at the time of the interview. Half of the participants indicated that pain interferes with routine and 80% did not receive care in health institutions. The main descriptors that qualify the painful experience were as follows: painful, heavy and sensitive for the sensory descriptors, tiring and punishing in the affective category. Suicide attempt was reported by 57% of the participants. There was a correlation between suicide risk and pain intensity.

Conclusion:

pain presented a high prevalence. Suicide risk was identified in more than half of the participants. Pain intensity showed a significant correlation with suicide risk.

Association Between Epidemiological Factors and Nonresponders to Total Joint Replacement Surgery in Primary Osteoarthritis Patients

BACKGROUND

While total joint replacement (TJR) is the most effective treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis (OA), one-third of patients do not experience clinically important improvement in pain or function following the surgery. Thus, it is important to identify factors for nonresponders and develop strategies to improve TJR outcomes.

METHODS

Study participants were patients who underwent TJR (hip/knee) due to OA and completed the WOMAC before and on average 4 years after surgery. Nonresponders (pain nonresponders, function nonresponders, pain and function nonresponders) were determined using the WOMAC change score from baseline to follow-up under two previously reported criteria. Eighty-eight self-reported factors collected by a general health questionnaire were examined for associations with nonresponders.

RESULTS

A total of 601 patients (30.8% hip and 69.2% knee replacement) were included; 18% of them were found to be either pain or function nonresponders. Nine factors were identified in the univariable analyses to be associated with nonresponders, and 5 of them (clinical depression, multisite musculoskeletal pain [MSMP], younger age, golfer's elbow, and driving more than 4 hours on average per working day) remained significant in the multivariable analyses in at least one of six categories. Clinical depression, having MSMP, and younger age were the major factors to be independently associated with nonresponders across five categories. In addition, two factors (age at menopause and age at hysterectomy) were significantly associated with female nonresponders.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggested potential roles of pain perception, widespread pain sensitization, patient expectations, and early menopause in females in TJR outcomes, warranting further investigation.

Reducing the Pain Behind Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care

OBJECTIVE

To describe the efficacy of a comprehensive approach aimed at reducing opioid prescribing in an internal medicine resident clinic.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study.

SETTING

Internal medicine primary care resident clinic at a large urban academic medical center.

SUBJECTS

All patients receiving opioid prescriptions from the primary care clinic.

METHODS

We reviewed pharmacy dispensing data for two hospital-affiliated pharmacies for resident primary care patients filling opioid prescriptions between July 2016 and July 2018. We instituted a comprehensive set of interventions that included resident education, limiting supervision of encounters for long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) to a fixed set of faculty champions, and providing alternate modalities for pain control. We calculated the change in number of opioid prescriptions dispensed, number of patients receiving opioid prescriptions, morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) dispensed, and average per-patient daily MMEs dispensed.

RESULTS

We observed an average monthly reduction of 2.44% (P < 0.001) in the number of prescriptions dispensed and a 1.83% (P < 0.001) monthly reduction in the number of patients receiving prescriptions. Over the two-year period, there was a 74.3% reduction in total MMEs prescribed and a 66.5% reduction in the average MMEs prescribed per patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate a significant reduction in opioid prescribing after implementation of a comprehensive initiative. Although our study was observational in nature, we witnessed a nearly threefold decrease in opioid prescribing compared with national trends. Our results offer important insights for other primary care resident clinics hoping to engender safe prescribing practices and curb high-dose opioid prescribing.

Covariation between Childhood-Trauma Related Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Affective Temperaments is Impaired in Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder

Affective temperaments and childhood-trauma experiences are associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). So far, how the covariation between distinct affective temperaments and childhood-trauma insulted brain functional connectivities (FCs) contribute to MDD remains unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate whether certain brain FC patterns are related to certain affective temperaments and whether the FCs contribute to depressive symptom dimensions of MDD patients. Twenty-nine medication-free MDD patients and 58 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging scanning and completed the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), and the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS). Two multivariate analyses of partial least squares (PLS) regression were used to explore the associations among childhood-trauma related resting-state FCs, affective temperaments and depressive symptom dimensions. In all participants, a linear combination of 81 FCs (involving parahippocampus, amygdala, cingulate cortex, insula, frontal-temporal-parietal-occipital cortex, pallidum, and cerebellum) were associated with a linear combination of increased depressive, irritable, anxious, and cyclothymic temperaments. Moreover, the covariation between the PLS FC profile and the PLS affective-temperament profile were enhanced in the MDD patients compared to healthy controls. In MDD participants alone, the affective-temperament modulated FC profile (mainly of the lingual and temporal cortex) was associated with the somatization symptom dimension when age, sex, ill-duration, age-of-onset, and HARS scores were adjusted. The findings imply possible neural correlates of affective temperaments and may find applications in intervention of the somatization-depression symptoms by stimulation of the related neural correlates.

Pain in neuropsychiatry: Insights from animal models

Pain is the most common symptom reported in clinical practice, meaning that it is associated with many pathologies as either the origin or a consequence of other illnesses. Furthermore, pain is a complex emotional and sensorial experience, as the correspondence between pain and body damage varies considerably. While these issues are widely acknowledged in clinical pain research, until recently they have not been extensively considered when exploring animal models, important tools for understanding pain pathophysiology. Interestingly, chronic pain is currently considered a risk factor to suffer psychiatric disorders, mainly stress-related disorders like anxiety and depression. Conversely, pain appears to be altered in many psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. Thus, pain and psychiatric disorders have been linked in epidemiological and clinical terms, although the neurobiological mechanisms involved in this pathological bidirectional relationship remain unclear. Here we review the evidence obtained from animal models about the co-morbidity of pain and psychiatric disorders, placing special emphasis on the different dimensions of pain.

New drug candidates for bipolar disorder-A nation-wide population-based study

OBJECTIVE

Drug repurposing is an increasingly promising idea in many fields of medicine. We systematically used Danish nation-wide population-based registers to investigate whether continued use of non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), low-dose aspirin, high-dose aspirin, statins, allopurinol, and angiotensin agents decrease the rate of incident mania/bipolar disorder.

METHODS

A nation-wide population-based longitudinal study using Poisson regression analyses including all persons in Denmark who purchased the exposure medication of interest and a random sample of 30% of the Danish population. The follow-up period comprised a 10 years period from 2005 to 2015. Two different outcome measures were included, (1) a diagnosis of mania/bipolar disorder at a psychiatric hospital contact as inpatient or outpatient and (2) a combined measure of a diagnosis of mania/bipolar disorder or initiation of lithium use.

RESULTS

A total of 1,605,365 subjects were exposed to one of the six drugs of interest during the exposure period from 2005 to 2015, median age 57 years [quartiles: 43;69], and female proportion of 53.1%. Continued use of low-dose aspirin, statins, and angiotensin agents were associated with decreased rates of incident mania/bipolar disorder on both outcome measures. Continued uses of non-aspirin NSAIDs as well as high-dose aspirin were associated with an increased rate of incident bipolar disorder. There were no statistically significant associations for allopurinol.

CONCLUSIONS

The study supports the potential of agents acting on inflammation and the stress response system in bipolar disorder and illustrates that population-based registers can be used to systematically identify drugs with repurposing potentials.

Psychopharmacology of chronic pain

Chronic pain is a frequent condition that affects an estimated 20% of people worldwide, accounting for 15%-20% of doctors' appointments (Treede et al., 2015). It lacks the acute warning function of physiologic nociception, and instead involves the activation of multiple neurophysiologic mechanisms in the somatosensory system, a complex neuronal network under the control of powerful autoregulatory loops and able to undergo rapid neuroplastic alteration (Verdu et al., 2008). There is a growing body of research suggesting that some such pathways are shared by major psychologic disorders such as depression and anxiety, opening new avenues in co-treatment strategies. In particular, besides anticonvulsants, which are today used as analgesics, other psychopharmaceuticals, such as the tricyclic antidepressants, are displaying efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic and nociceptive chronic pain. The state of the art regarding the mechanisms of nociception and the pharmacology of both the neurotransmitters involved and the wide range of psychoactive compounds that may be useful in the treatment of chronic pain are discussed.

Neural Activation During Tonic Pain and Interaction Between Pain and Emotion in Bipolar Disorder: An fMRI Study

Objective: Pain and affective disorders have clear clinical relevance; however, very few studies have investigated the association between pain and bipolar disorder. This study investigated the brain activity of patients with bipolar disorder (BPs) undergoing tonic pain and assessed the interaction between pain and emotion. Methods: Ten BPs and ten healthy controls (HCs) were exposed to emotional pictures (positive, neutral, or negative), tonic pain only (pain session), and emotional pictures along with tonic pain (combined session). A moderate tonic pain was induced by the infusion of hypertonic saline (5% NaCl) into the right masseter muscle with a computer-controlled system. Whole-brain blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals were acquired using 3T functional resonance imaging (fMRI). Results: Ten BPs and ten healthy participants were included in the final analysis. During the pain session, BPs accepted more saline, but showed lower pain rating scores than HCs. When experiencing pain, BPs showed a significant decrease in the BOLD signal in the bilateral insula, left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and left cerebellum as compared with HCs. In the combined session, the activated regions for positive mood (pain with positive mood > baseline) in BPs were the left cerebellum, right temporal gyrus, and left occipital gyrus; the activated regions for negative mood (pain with negative mood > baseline) were the right occipital gyrus, left insula, left IFG, and bilateral precentral gyrus. Conclusions: This study presents the preliminary finding of the interaction between pain and emotion in BPs. BPs exhibited lower sensitivity to pain, and the activation of insula and IFG may reflect the interaction between emotion and pain stimulus.