Pain is a multidimensional experience involving physical and negative emotional components. Chronic pain, clinically defined as lasting at least 3 months, is a subjective perceptive experience involving affective and cognitive processing rather than a purely sensory phenomenon. Patients suffering from persistent pain also experience negative emotions and decreased motivation. Cognition is also required in the elaboration of the emotional component of pain and several cortical and limbic regions are involved in perception, processing, and pain modulation. Some critical elements of cognition including memory and attention are unbalanced in patients suffering from chronic pain. Nevertheless, mood disorders including depression but also anxiety disorders show psychological comorbidity in chronic pain populations. Over the last few years, critical circuits and signaling pathways underlying the affective and cognitive component of pain emerged, and novel targets have been identified for the development of treatment. The scope of this research topic is to provide recent advances in the neural basis of emotional aspects of chronic pain. The goal of this special issue is to collect research articles and reviews covering the last findings on the modulation of pain by cognitive and emotional states and on the mechanism by which chronic pain alters brain circuitry and, ultimately, to update the scientific and clinical community on recent findings in this field. The research topic welcomes submissions from both academic and industry researchers. All submissions should focus on the molecular mechanisms, neuronal circuits, and therapeutics targeting the mechanisms underlying the cognitive and/or affective components in chronic pain conditions. This article collection aims to include publications as original research and review articles on the following, but not limited, topics:1) Basic, translational or clinical studies identifying the neurochemical basis at molecular, cellular or circuit level of cognitive and emotional modulation of pain and/or chronic pain effects on cognitive-emotional circuitry;2) Preclinical or clinical original studies/reviews in animals/humans presenting data about pharmacological therapeutic targets to promote analgesic and neuromodulator effects in cognitive and emotional deficits which are comorbid with chronic pain.3) Current status of novel translational approaches from animals to humans and vice-versa exploring potential biomarkers involved in chronic pain and its emotional-cognitive states.
Pain is a multidimensional experience involving physical and negative emotional components. Chronic pain, clinically defined as lasting at least 3 months, is a subjective perceptive experience involving affective and cognitive processing rather than a purely sensory phenomenon. Patients suffering from persistent pain also experience negative emotions and decreased motivation. Cognition is also required in the elaboration of the emotional component of pain and several cortical and limbic regions are involved in perception, processing, and pain modulation. Some critical elements of cognition including memory and attention are unbalanced in patients suffering from chronic pain. Nevertheless, mood disorders including depression but also anxiety disorders show psychological comorbidity in chronic pain populations. Over the last few years, critical circuits and signaling pathways underlying the affective and cognitive component of pain emerged, and novel targets have been identified for the development of treatment. The scope of this research topic is to provide recent advances in the neural basis of emotional aspects of chronic pain. The goal of this special issue is to collect research articles and reviews covering the last findings on the modulation of pain by cognitive and emotional states and on the mechanism by which chronic pain alters brain circuitry and, ultimately, to update the scientific and clinical community on recent findings in this field. The research topic welcomes submissions from both academic and industry researchers. All submissions should focus on the molecular mechanisms, neuronal circuits, and therapeutics targeting the mechanisms underlying the cognitive and/or affective components in chronic pain conditions. This article collection aims to include publications as original research and review articles on the following, but not limited, topics:1) Basic, translational or clinical studies identifying the neurochemical basis at molecular, cellular or circuit level of cognitive and emotional modulation of pain and/or chronic pain effects on cognitive-emotional circuitry;2) Preclinical or clinical original studies/reviews in animals/humans presenting data about pharmacological therapeutic targets to promote analgesic and neuromodulator effects in cognitive and emotional deficits which are comorbid with chronic pain.3) Current status of novel translational approaches from animals to humans and vice-versa exploring potential biomarkers involved in chronic pain and its emotional-cognitive states.