The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Chronic abdominal pain in the absence of ongoing disease is the hallmark of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While the etiology of DGBIs remains poorly understood, there is evidence that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. In this study, we report the identification and validation of Avpr1a as a novel candidate gene for visceral hypersensitivity (VH), a primary peripheral mechanism underlying abdominal pain in DGBI/IBS. ⋯ Taken together, these findings implicate differential regulation of Avpr1a as a novel mechanism of VH-susceptibility as well as a potential therapeutic target specific to VH. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents evidence of Avpr1a as a novel candidate gene for visceral hypersensitivity in a mouse model of irritable bowel syndrome. Avpr1a genotype and/or tissue-specific expression represents a potential biomarker for chronic abdominal pain susceptibility.
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Prior research has established that insomnia is predctive of pain in adolescents and that psychological mechanisms have a crucial role in this relationship. Adolescent girls report more insomnia and pain than boys, yet little is known of gender differences in how insomnia influences pain. This study assessed gender differences in levels and trajectories of insomnia and pain during adolescence, and whether rumination and negative mood mediated the effect of insomnia on pain. ⋯ These results highlight that girls and boys should be considered separately when studying the relationship between insomnia and pain. PERSPECTIVE: Levels of insomnia and pain are progressively higher in adolescent girls than boys, across adolescence. The predictive strength of insomnia symptoms for future pain is 3.5 times greater in girls, with distinct gender-specific underlying pathways: rumination partially mediates this effect in girls, while depressed mood does so in boys.
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Estimates suggest that only 24.9% of infants born in 2019 were exclusively breastfed before six months of age, despite the known health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. Breast and nipple pain is one of the primary determinants of exclusive breastfeeding. Environmental contributions to breastfeeding success have been reported extensively in the literature, but the contribution(s) of maternal genetics has yet to be discovered. ⋯ TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROMPT was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (protocol #NCT05262920)1. PERSPECTIVE: Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the pain gene COMT are associated with breast and nipple pain. Clinically, a minor allele in COMT rs4633 and rs4680 may increase a woman's rating of moderate breast and nipple pain.
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Secondary mechanical hypersensitivity, a common symptom of neuropathic pain, reflects increased responsiveness of nociceptive pathways and can be induced temporarily in healthy volunteers using high-frequency electrical stimulation of the skin. Expectations modulate acute pain perception and fear of pain has been shown to attenuate and amplify the placebo and nocebo effects respectively. However, the role of expectations and fear in the development of mechanical secondary hypersensitivity remains unclear. ⋯ We provide preliminary evidence that both expectations and fear impact the development of mechanical secondary hypersensitivity. PERSPECTIVE: Expectations of pain may influence the development of secondary mechanical hypersensitivity. This effect is moderated by dispositional fear of pain and partially mediated by situational fear of pain.