Neural Mechanisms of Bone Pain

Funded Activity Summary

Pain associated with bone cancer, fractures, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, osteomyelitis (and other bone infections) often presents the clinician with a difficult problem of treatment as the pain can be debilitating and intractable. Most current treatments for bone pain are based on the assumption that the neural mechanisms underlying pain from different sources, whether it be visceral, cutaneous, muscular or bony, are the same, and can therefore be targeted with similar therapies. However, little is known of the response properties, structure and organization of receptors and neurones responding to, and relaying information about painful stimuli, from bone to the brain. The objectives of this project are to reveal the fundamental neural mechanisms that account for the perception of bone pain. The project will test a series of specific hypotheses in order to explain why bone pain is often poorly controlled by standard pharmacological or surgical approaches. It is expected that this study will reveal the neural mechanisms responsible for relaying sensory information, in particular, that regarding painful stimuli, from bone to the brain. It will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of bone pain and form the template for future studies of its treatment.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2007

End Date: 01-01-2009

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $288,210.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Systems Physiology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Bone cancer | Bone fractures | Bone nociception | Bone pain | Bone-associated primary afferent fibres | Central pathways associated with bone inputs | Osteoarthritis | Osteporosis

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