1
|
Seblani M, Brezun JM, Féron F, Hoquet T. Rethinking plasticity: Analysing the concept of "destructive plasticity" in the light of neuroscience definitions. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 60:4798-4812. [PMID: 39092545 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
As a multilevel and multidisciplinary field, neuroscience is designed to interact with various branches of natural and applied sciences as well as with humanities and philosophy. The continental tradition in philosophy, particularly over the past 20 years, tended to establish strong connections with biology and neuroscience findings. This cross fertilization can however be impeded by conceptual intricacies, such as those surrounding the concept of plasticity. The use of this concept has broadened as scientists applied it to explore an ever-growing range of biological phenomena. Here, we examine the consequences of this ambiguity in an interdisciplinary context through the analysis of the concept of "destructive plasticity" in the philosophical writings of Catherine Malabou. The term "destructive plasticity" was coined by Malabou in 2009 to refer to all processes leading to psycho-cognitive and emotional alterations following traumatic or nontraumatic brain injuries or resulting from neurodevelopmental disorders. By comparing it with the neuroscientific definitions of plasticity, we discuss the epistemological obstacles and possibilities related to the integration of this concept into neuroscience. Improving interdisciplinary exchanges requires an advanced and sophisticated manipulation of neurobiological concepts. These concepts are not only intended to guide research programmes within neuroscience but also to organize and frame the dialogue between different theoretical backgrounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Seblani
- Institut des Sciences du Mouvement: Etienne-Jules MAREY (ISM), CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, UMR 7287, Campus Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille Cedex 09, France
- Institute of NeuroPhysiopathology (INP), CNRS, Aix Marseille University, UMR 7051, Marseille Cedex 5, France
- Department of Philosophy, University Paris Nanterre, Nanterre Cedex, France
| | - Jean-Michel Brezun
- Institut des Sciences du Mouvement: Etienne-Jules MAREY (ISM), CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, UMR 7287, Campus Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - François Féron
- Institute of NeuroPhysiopathology (INP), CNRS, Aix Marseille University, UMR 7051, Marseille Cedex 5, France
| | - Thierry Hoquet
- Department of Philosophy, University Paris Nanterre, Nanterre Cedex, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mac Goris JL, Todd J, Clarke PJ, Hughes AM, Vögele C, Van Ryckeghem DM. The role of attention bias malleability in experiencing pain and associated disability. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17430. [PMID: 38846749 PMCID: PMC11155670 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Attentional processing of pain has been theorized to play a key role in the severity of pain and associated disability. In particular attentional bias towards pain information, resulting in poor pain outcomes, has been extensively researched. Recently, the idea was put forward that attention bias malleability (AM), i.e., the readiness to acquire an attentional bias irrespective of its direction, may be key in predicting poor pain outcomes. We tested this hypothesis in two studies. Methods In Study 1, 55 healthy participants completed an AM paradigm, followed by an experimental heat pain paradigm probing pain experience and pain-related task interference. In Study 2, 71 people with chronic pain completed an AM paradigm and questionnaires probing pain experience and associated disability. Results In Study 1, including healthy participants, no relationship was found between AM indices and experimental pain outcomes. In Study 2, including chronic pain patients, results indicated that higher levels of overall AM were related to higher levels of pain experience and disability. Conclusion This study partially supports the hypotheses that the degree to which individuals can adapt their attentional preference in line with changing environmental conditions is associated with poor pain outcomes. However, future research is needed to clarify inconsistent findings between healthy volunteers and chronic pain patients as well as to determine the causal status of AM in poor pain outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justine L. Mac Goris
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Jemma Todd
- School Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Patrick J.F. Clarke
- Curtin School of Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Curtin, Australia
| | - Alicia M. Hughes
- Department of Psychological Medecine, King’s College London, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claus Vögele
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Dimitri M.L. Van Ryckeghem
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kamil H, Alassri R, Albelal D, Alassri AB, Martini N, Mahmod J. A challenging diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis in a child with congenital insensitivity to pain: a case report. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2024; 86:3113-3116. [PMID: 38694364 PMCID: PMC11060246 DOI: 10.1097/ms9.0000000000001971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) is a rare condition where individuals are born with an inability to perceive pain. This can lead to various complications in the skin, skeletal system, and other bodily systems. Chronic osteomyelitis is one of the possible manifestations of CIP, which can be difficult to diagnose and treat due to the lack of pain as a diagnostic criterion. Presentation A 5-year-old boy with CIP developed chronic osteomyelitis in his right leg, presented with fever, claudication, swelling, and local heat for 2 months. He had a history of CIP since birth, diagnosed at 18 months of age. He also had a family history of CIP. He had previously suffered a shoulder fracture and had taken asthma medication for 1 year. He had experienced tonsillitis 2 months ago. On examination, he had hepatomegaly, enlarged lymph nodes in the groin, and a minor swelling on the right knee. He had an audible snapping sound during knee flexion. Blood tests showed increased inflammatory markers. Imaging studies confirmed presence of osteomyelitis, and bone biopsy revealed infection with Staphylococcus aureus. Treatment included vancomycin and cefotaxime. Clinical discussion Genetic factors behind CIP were discussed, highlighting challenges in diagnosis. Manifestations of CIP, diverse and age-related, include orthopaedic issues, ophthalmological effects, and thermoregulation disturbances. The patient's case is presented with unique features, necessitating a comprehensive diagnostic approach. Conclusion This case highlights the challenges faced in diagnosing osteomyelitis among CIP patients and emphasizes the need for other diagnostic criteria apart from pain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hazem Kamil
- Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University
- Stemosis for Scientific Research
| | - Riffa Alassri
- Stemosis for Scientific Research
- University of Hama College of Human Medicine, Hama, Syria
| | - Douaa Albelal
- Stemosis for Scientific Research
- University of Hama College of Human Medicine, Hama, Syria
| | | | - Nafiza Martini
- Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University
- Stemosis for Scientific Research
| | - Jaber Mahmod
- Gastroenterology, Pediatric University Hospital, Damascus
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Johnson MI, Hudson M, Ryan CG. Perspectives on the insidious nature of pain metaphor: we literally need to change our metaphors. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2023; 4:1224139. [PMID: 37781218 PMCID: PMC10540619 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1224139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Metaphorical language is used to convey one thing as representative or symbolic of something else. Metaphor is used in figurative language but is much more than a means of delivering "poetic imagination". A metaphor is a conceptual tool for categorising, organizing, thinking about, and ultimately shaping reality. Thus, metaphor underpins the way humans think. Our viewpoint is that metaphorical thought and communication contribute to "painogenicity", the tendency of socio-ecological environments (settings) to promote the persistence of pain. In this perspectives article, we explore the insidious nature of metaphor used in pain language and conceptual models of pain. We explain how metaphor shapes mental organisation to govern the way humans perceive, navigate and gain insight into the nature of the world, i.e., creating experience. We explain how people use metaphors to "project" their private sensations, feelings, and thoughts onto objects and events in the external world. This helps people to understand their pain and promotes sharing of pain experience with others, including health care professionals. We explore the insidious nature of "warmongering" and damage-based metaphors in daily parlance and demonstrate how this is detrimental to health and wellbeing. We explore how metaphors shape the development and communication of complex, abstract ideas, theories, and models and how scientific understanding of pain is metaphorical in nature. We argue that overly simplistic neuro-mechanistic metaphors of pain contribute to fallacies and misnomers and an unhealthy focus on biomedical research, in the hope of developing medical interventions that "prevent pain transmission [sic]". We advocate reconfiguring pain language towards constructive metaphors that foster a salutogenic view of pain, focusing on health and well-being. We advocate reconfiguring metaphors to align with contemporary pain science, to encourage acceptance of non-medicalised strategies to aid health and well-being. We explore the role of enactive metaphors to facilitate reconfiguration. We conclude that being cognisant of the pervasive nature of metaphors will assist progress toward a more coherent conceptual understanding of pain and the use of healthier pain language. We hope our article catalyses debate and reflection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark I. Johnson
- Centre for Pain Research, School of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Matt Hudson
- Centre for Pain Research, School of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Mind Help Limited, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Cormac G. Ryan
- Centre for Rehabilitation, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
- The Pain Education Team Aspiring Learning (PETAL) Collaboration
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jovanovic F, Jovanovic V, Knezevic NN. Glucocorticoid Hormones as Modulators of the Kynurenine Pathway in Chronic Pain Conditions. Cells 2023; 12:cells12081178. [PMID: 37190087 DOI: 10.3390/cells12081178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathogenesis of chronic pain entails a series of complex interactions among the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. Defined as pain lasting or recurring for more than 3 months, chronic pain is becoming increasingly more prevalent among the US adult population. Pro-inflammatory cytokines from persistent low-grade inflammation not only contribute to the development of chronic pain conditions, but also regulate various aspects of the tryptophan metabolism, especially that of the kynurenine pathway (KP). An elevated level of pro-inflammatory cytokines exerts similar regulatory effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, an intricate system of neuro-endocrine-immune pathways and a major mechanism of the stress response. As the HPA axis counters inflammation through the secretion of endogenous cortisol, we review the role of cortisol along with that of exogenous glucocorticoids in patients with chronic pain conditions. Considering that different metabolites produced along the KP exhibit neuroprotective, neurotoxic, and pronociceptive properties, we also summarize evidence rendering them as reliable biomarkers in this patient population. While more in vivo studies are needed, we conclude that the interaction between glucocorticoid hormones and the KP poses an attractive venue of diagnostic and therapeutic potential in patients with chronic pain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Filip Jovanovic
- Department of Internal Medicine, Merit Health Wesley, Hattiesburg, MS 39402, USA
| | - Visnja Jovanovic
- Department of Anesthesiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60657, USA
| | - Nebojsa Nick Knezevic
- Department of Anesthesiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60657, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Himmel NJ, Sakurai A, Patel AA, Bhattacharjee S, Letcher JM, Benson MN, Gray TR, Cymbalyuk GS, Cox DN. Chloride-dependent mechanisms of multimodal sensory discrimination and nociceptive sensitization in Drosophila. eLife 2023; 12:76863. [PMID: 36688373 PMCID: PMC9904763 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual sensory neurons can be tuned to many stimuli, each driving unique, stimulus-relevant behaviors, and the ability of multimodal nociceptor neurons to discriminate between potentially harmful and innocuous stimuli is broadly important for organismal survival. Moreover, disruptions in the capacity to differentiate between noxious and innocuous stimuli can result in neuropathic pain. Drosophila larval class III (CIII) neurons are peripheral noxious cold nociceptors and innocuous touch mechanosensors; high levels of activation drive cold-evoked contraction (CT) behavior, while low levels of activation result in a suite of touch-associated behaviors. However, it is unknown what molecular factors underlie CIII multimodality. Here, we show that the TMEM16/anoctamins subdued and white walker (wwk; CG15270) are required for cold-evoked CT, but not for touch-associated behavior, indicating a conserved role for anoctamins in nociception. We also evidence that CIII neurons make use of atypical depolarizing chloride currents to encode cold, and that overexpression of ncc69-a fly homologue of NKCC1-results in phenotypes consistent with neuropathic sensitization, including behavioral sensitization and neuronal hyperexcitability, making Drosophila CIII neurons a candidate system for future studies of the basic mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Akira Sakurai
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | - Atit A Patel
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | | | - Jamin M Letcher
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | - Maggie N Benson
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | - Thomas R Gray
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | | | - Daniel N Cox
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Reedich EJ, Genry LT, Singer MA, Cavarsan CF, Mena Avila E, Boudreau DM, Brennan MC, Garrett AM, Dowaliby L, Detloff MR, Quinlan KA. Enhanced nociceptive behavior and expansion of associated primary afferents in a rabbit model of cerebral palsy. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:1951-1966. [PMID: 35839339 PMCID: PMC9388620 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Spastic cerebral palsy (CP) is a movement disorder marked by hypertonia and hyperreflexia; the most prevalent comorbidity is pain. Since spinal nociceptive afferents contribute to both the sensation of painful stimuli as well as reflex circuits involved in movement, we investigated the relationship between prenatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) injury which can cause CP, and possible changes in spinal nociceptive circuitry. To do this, we examined nociceptive afferents and mechanical and thermal sensitivity of New Zealand White rabbit kits after prenatal HI or a sham surgical procedure. As described previously, a range of motor deficits similar to spastic CP was observed in kits born naturally after HI (40 min at ~70%-80% gestation). We found that HI caused an expansion of peptidergic afferents (marked by expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide) in both the superficial and deep dorsal horn at postnatal day (P)5. Non-peptidergic nociceptive afferent arborization (labeled by isolectin B4) was unaltered in HI kits, but overlap of the two populations (peptidergic and non-peptidergic nociceptors) was increased by HI. Density of glial fibrillary acidic protein was unchanged within spinal cord white matter regions important in nociceptive transmission at P5. We found that mechanical and thermal nociception was enhanced in HI kits even in the absence of motor deficits. These findings suggest that prenatal HI injury impacts spinal sensory pathways in addition to the more well-established disruptions to descending motor circuits. In conclusion, changes to spinal nociceptive circuitry could disrupt spinal reflexes and contribute to pain experienced by individuals with CP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Reedich
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Landon T Genry
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Meredith A Singer
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Marion Murray Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Clarissa Fantin Cavarsan
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Elvia Mena Avila
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Daphne M Boudreau
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Michael C Brennan
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Alyssa M Garrett
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Rhode Island Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Lisa Dowaliby
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Megan R Detloff
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Marion Murray Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Katharina A Quinlan
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lu X, Yao X, Thompson WF, Hu L. Movement-induced hypoalgesia: behavioral characteristics and neural mechanisms. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1497:39-56. [PMID: 33691345 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Pain is essential for our survival because it helps to protect us from severe injuries. Nociceptive signals may be exacerbated by continued physical activities but can also be interrupted or overridden by physical movements, a process called movement-induced hypoalgesia. Several neural mechanisms have been proposed to account for this effect, including the reafference principle, non-nociceptive interference, and top-down descending modulation. Given that the hypoalgesic effects of these mechanisms temporally overlap during movement execution, it is unclear whether movement-induced hypoalgesia results from a single neural mechanism or from the joint action of multiple neural mechanisms. To address this question, we conducted five experiments on 129 healthy humans by assessing the hypoalgesic effect after movement execution. Combining psychophysics and electroencephalographic recordings, we quantified the relationship between the strength of voluntary movement and the hypoalgesic effect, as well as the temporal and spatial characteristics of the hypoalgesic effect. Our findings demonstrated that movement-induced hypoalgesia results from the joint action of multiple neural mechanisms. This investigation is the first to disentangle the distinct contributions of different neural mechanisms to the hypoalgesic effect of voluntary movement, which extends our understanding of sensory attenuation arising from voluntary movement and may prove instrumental in developing new strategies for pain management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinru Yao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
The prevailing paradigm for psychopharmacology focuses on understanding brain
mechanisms as the key to finding new medications and improving clinical
outcomes, but frustration with slow progress has inspired many pleas for new
approaches. Evolutionary psychiatry brings in an additional basic science that
poses new questions about why natural selection left us vulnerable to so many
mental disorders, and new insights about how drugs work. The integration of
neuroscience with evolutionary psychiatry is synergistic, going beyond
reductionism to provide a model like the one used by the rest of medicine. It
recognizes negative emotions as symptoms, that are, like pain and cough, useful
defenses whose presence should initiate a search for causes. An integrative
evolutionary approach explains why agents that block useful aversive responses
are usually safe, and how to anticipate when they may cause harm. More
generally, an evolutionary framework suggests novel practical strategies for
finding and testing new drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Randolph M Nesse
- Center for Evolutionary Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Dan J Stein
- SAMRC Unit on Risk Resilience in Mental Disorders, Dept of Psychiatry; Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Johnson MI. Opinions on Paleolithic physiology living in painogenic environments: changing the perspective through which we view chronic pain. Pain Manag 2019; 9:219-224. [PMID: 31141471 DOI: 10.2217/pmt-2018-0095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mark I Johnson
- Centre for Pain Research, School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3HE, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Johnson MI. The Landscape of Chronic Pain: Broader Perspectives. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2019; 55:E182. [PMID: 31117297 PMCID: PMC6572619 DOI: 10.3390/medicina55050182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chronic pain is a global health concern. This special issue on matters related to chronic pain aims to draw on research and scholarly discourse from an eclectic mix of areas and perspectives. The purpose of this non-systematic topical review is to précis an assortment of contemporary topics related to chronic pain and its management to nurture debate about research, practice and health care policy. The review discusses the phenomenon of pain, the struggle that patients have trying to legitimize their pain to others, the utility of the acute-chronic dichotomy, and the burden of chronic pain on society. The review describes the introduction of chronic primary pain in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Disease, 11th Revision and discusses the importance of biopsychosocial approaches to manage pain, the consequences of overprescribing and shifts in service delivery in primary care settings. The second half of the review explores pain perception as a multisensory perceptual inference discussing how contexts, predictions and expectations contribute to the malleability of somatosensations including pain, and how this knowledge can inform the development of therapies and strategies to alleviate pain. Finally, the review explores chronic pain through an evolutionary lens by comparing modern urban lifestyles with genetic heritage that encodes physiology adapted to live in the Paleolithic era. I speculate that modern urban lifestyles may be painogenic in nature, worsening chronic pain in individuals and burdening society at the population level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark I Johnson
- Centre for Pain Research, School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, City Campus, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Shiers S, Price TJ. Neuroscience: A Male-Specific Pain Memory Mechanism. Curr Biol 2019; 29:R50-R52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.11.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
13
|
Walters ET. Nociceptive Biology of Molluscs and Arthropods: Evolutionary Clues About Functions and Mechanisms Potentially Related to Pain. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1049. [PMID: 30123137 PMCID: PMC6085516 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Important insights into the selection pressures and core molecular modules contributing to the evolution of pain-related processes have come from studies of nociceptive systems in several molluscan and arthropod species. These phyla, and the chordates that include humans, last shared a common ancestor approximately 550 million years ago. Since then, animals in these phyla have continued to be subject to traumatic injury, often from predators, which has led to similar adaptive behaviors (e.g., withdrawal, escape, recuperative behavior) and physiological responses to injury in each group. Comparisons across these taxa provide clues about the contributions of convergent evolution and of conservation of ancient adaptive mechanisms to general nociceptive and pain-related functions. Primary nociceptors have been investigated extensively in a few molluscan and arthropod species, with studies of long-lasting nociceptive sensitization in the gastropod, Aplysia, and the insect, Drosophila, being especially fruitful. In Aplysia, nociceptive sensitization has been investigated as a model for aversive memory and for hyperalgesia. Neuromodulator-induced, activity-dependent, and axotomy-induced plasticity mechanisms have been defined in synapses, cell bodies, and axons of Aplysia primary nociceptors. Studies of nociceptive sensitization in Drosophila larvae have revealed numerous molecular contributors in primary nociceptors and interacting cells. Interestingly, molecular contributors examined thus far in Aplysia and Drosophila are largely different, but both sets overlap extensively with those in mammalian pain-related pathways. In contrast to results from Aplysia and Drosophila, nociceptive sensitization examined in moth larvae (Manduca) disclosed central hyperactivity but no obvious peripheral sensitization of nociceptive responses. Squid (Doryteuthis) show injury-induced sensitization manifested as behavioral hypersensitivity to tactile and especially visual stimuli, and as hypersensitivity and spontaneous activity in nociceptor terminals. Temporary blockade of nociceptor activity during injury subsequently increased mortality when injured squid were exposed to fish predators, providing the first demonstration in any animal of the adaptiveness of nociceptive sensitization. Immediate responses to noxious stimulation and nociceptive sensitization have also been examined behaviorally and physiologically in a snail (Helix), octopus (Adopus), crayfish (Astacus), hermit crab (Pagurus), and shore crab (Hemigrapsus). Molluscs and arthropods have systems that suppress nociceptive responses, but whether opioid systems play antinociceptive roles in these phyla is uncertain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edgar T Walters
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
Predictions which invoke evolutionary mechanisms are hard to test. Agent-based modeling in artificial life offers a way to simulate behaviors and interactions in specific physical or social environments over many generations. The outcomes have implications for understanding adaptive value of behaviors in context. Pain-related behavior in animals is communicated to other animals that might protect or help, or might exploit or predate. An agent-based model simulated the effects of displaying or not displaying pain (expresser/nonexpresser strategies) when injured and of helping, ignoring, or exploiting another in pain (altruistic/nonaltruistic/selfish strategies). Agents modeled in MATLAB interacted at random while foraging (gaining energy); random injury interrupted foraging for a fixed time unless help from an altruistic agent, who paid an energy cost, speeded recovery. Environmental and social conditions also varied, and each model ran for 10,000 iterations. Findings were meaningful in that, in general, contingencies that evident from experimental work with a variety of mammals, over a few interactions, were replicated in the agent-based model after selection pressure over many generations. More energy-demanding expression of pain reduced its frequency in successive generations, and increasing injury frequency resulted in fewer expressers and altruists. Allowing exploitation of injured agents decreased expression of pain to near zero, but altruists remained. Decreasing costs or increasing benefits of helping hardly changed its frequency, whereas increasing interaction rate between injured agents and helpers diminished the benefits to both. Agent-based modeling allows simulation of complex behaviors and environmental pressures over evolutionary time.
Collapse
|
15
|
|
16
|
Zhang S, Malik Sharif S, Chen YC, Valente EM, Ahmed M, Sheridan E, Bennett C, Woods G. Clinical features for diagnosis and management of patients with PRDM12 congenital insensitivity to pain. J Med Genet 2016; 53:533-5. [PMID: 26975306 PMCID: PMC4975812 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2015-103646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) is a rare extreme phenotype characterised by an inability to perceive pain present from birth due to lack of, or malfunction of, nociceptors. PRDM12 has recently been identified as a new gene that can cause CIP. The full phenotype and natural history have not yet been reported. Methods We have ascertained five adult patients and report their clinical features. Results Based on our findings, and those of previous patients, we describe the natural history of the PRDM12-CIP disorder, and derive diagnostic and management features to guide the clinical management of patients. Conclusions PRDM12-CIP is a distinct and diagnosable disorder, and requires specific clinical management to minimise predictable complications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stella Zhang
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Ya-Chun Chen
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Wellcome Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Enza-Maria Valente
- Section of Neurosciences, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Italy
| | - Mushtaq Ahmed
- The Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, UK
| | - Eamonn Sheridan
- The Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, UK
| | - Christopher Bennett
- The Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, UK
| | - Geoffrey Woods
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Wellcome Trust, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Intra-axonal protein synthesis in development and beyond. Int J Dev Neurosci 2016; 55:140-149. [PMID: 26970010 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins can be locally produced in the periphery of a cell, allowing a rapid and spatially precise response to the changes in its environment. This process is especially relevant in highly polarized and morphologically complex cells such as neurons. The study of local translation in axons has evolved from being primarily focused on developing axons, to the notion that also mature axons can produce proteins. Axonal translation has been implied in several physiological and pathological conditions, and in all cases it shares common molecular actors and pathways as well as regulatory mechanisms. Here, we review the main findings in these fields, and attempt to highlight shared principles.
Collapse
|
18
|
Melemedjian OK, Khoutorsky A. Translational control of chronic pain. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2015; 131:185-213. [PMID: 25744674 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2014.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Pain is a crucial physiological response to injury and pathologies. The development and maintenance of pain requires the expression of novel genes. The expression of such genes occurs in highly regulated and orchestrated manner where protein translation provides an exquisite temporal and spatial fidelity within the axons and dendrites of neurons. Signaling pathways that regulate local translation are activated by cytokines, neurotrophic factors, or neurotransmitters, which are released either due to tissue damage or neuronal activity. In recent years, the ERK and mTOR pathways have been demonstrated to be central in regulating local translation in neurons of both the peripheral and central nervous systems in diverse models of chronic pain. The ERK and mTOR pathways converge onto the cap-dependent translational machinery that regulates genes essential for the development of nociceptive sensitization. Moreover, inhibition of these pathways has proved to be effective in normalizing the biochemical changes and the associated pain in various preclinical models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ohannes K Melemedjian
- Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
| | - Arkady Khoutorsky
- Department of Biochemistry, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Price TJ, Inyang KE. Commonalities between pain and memory mechanisms and their meaning for understanding chronic pain. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2015; 131:409-34. [PMID: 25744681 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2014.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Pain sensing neurons in the periphery (called nociceptors) and the central neurons that receive their projections show remarkable plasticity following injury. This plasticity results in amplification of pain signaling that is now understood to be crucial for the recovery and survival of organisms following injury. These same plasticity mechanisms may drive a transition to a nonadaptive chronic pain state if they fail to resolve following the termination of the healing process. Remarkable advances have been achieved in the past two decades in understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie pain plasticity following injury. The mechanisms bear a striking resemblance to molecular mechanisms involved in learning and memory processes in other brain regions, including the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Here those mechanisms, their commonalities and subtle differences, will be highlighted and their role in causing chronic pain will be discussed. Arising from these data is the striking argument that chronic pain is a disease of the nervous system, which distinguishes this phenomena from acute pain that is frequently a symptom alerting the organism to injury. This argument has important implications for the development of disease modifying therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Theodore J Price
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA.
| | - Kufreobong E Inyang
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|