Supraspinal Neural Adaptations In The Transition From Acute Injury To Chronic Pain And Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,360.00
Summary
Although there have been significant clinical advances in the management of injury and the control of acute pain following tauma, many people still develop disabling conditions of chronic pain. Chronic pain and disability occurs even though the acute signs of trauma have subsided and injuries have healed. People with chronic pain conditions not only experience ongoing changes in sensation (ie., most commonly lowered thresholds for pain, touch evoked pain and spontaneous pain), they also endure a ....Although there have been significant clinical advances in the management of injury and the control of acute pain following tauma, many people still develop disabling conditions of chronic pain. Chronic pain and disability occurs even though the acute signs of trauma have subsided and injuries have healed. People with chronic pain conditions not only experience ongoing changes in sensation (ie., most commonly lowered thresholds for pain, touch evoked pain and spontaneous pain), they also endure a number of disabilities for example disrupted family and social relations, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, weight changes, loss of sex drive, changes in menstrual cycle, the inability to cope with stressors, and often moderate to severe anxiety and depression. The proposed research aims to (i) identify changes in brain circuits which are responsible for producing these patterns of pain and disability following injury and (ii) attempts to selectively reverse some of these disabilities by reversing the brain changes. The results of this study will offer for the first time a rational basis for improving the outcomes of injury and pain management in the acute phase of trauma, by identifying and reversing the critical changes which predict the advent of the state state of chronic pain and disability.Read moreRead less
Excitatory Synaptic Circuitry And Plasticity In The Amygdala.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,750.00
Summary
The amygdala is a key structure in the neuronal circuitry that underlies the analysis of emotional information. In particular this structure plays a major role in the processing of fear-related information. Disorders of the processing and storage of such information are thought to be the major underlying cause of mental disorders such as panic attacks, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Understanding the physiology of this structure and the ways in which this can change in response to v ....The amygdala is a key structure in the neuronal circuitry that underlies the analysis of emotional information. In particular this structure plays a major role in the processing of fear-related information. Disorders of the processing and storage of such information are thought to be the major underlying cause of mental disorders such as panic attacks, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Understanding the physiology of this structure and the ways in which this can change in response to various stimuli is necessary for the development of rational therapies that target the amygdala.Read moreRead less