A5035220104- Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology
- Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment
- Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Pain Management and Treatment
- Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological Disorders
- Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Shoulder Injury and Treatment
- Pain Management and Opioid Use
- Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Scoliosis diagnosis and treatment
- Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Anesthesia and Pain Management
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies
- Peripheral Neuropathies and Disorders
- Infrared Thermography in Medicine
- Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies
- Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
University of Zurich
2017-2025
Universitätsklinik Balgrist
2016-2024
McGill University
2013-2023
Spinal Research
2023
McGill University Health Centre
2008-2021
Concordia University
2020
Corner House
2020
ABB (Switzerland)
2020
Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2018
University of South Wales
2018
Fibromyalgia is an intractable widespread pain disorder that most frequently diagnosed in women. It has traditionally been classified as either a musculoskeletal disease or psychological disorder. Accumulating evidence now suggests fibromyalgia may be associated with CNS dysfunction. In this study, we investigate anatomical changes the brain fibromyalgia. Using voxel-based morphometric analysis of magnetic resonance images, examined brains 10 female patients and healthy controls. We found...
Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread pain and bodily tenderness often accompanied affective disturbances. Accumulating evidence indicates that fibromyalgia may involve a dysfunction of modulatory systems in the brain. While brain dopamine best known for its role pleasure, motivation motor control, recent suggests it also involved modulation. Because implicated both modulation processing, we hypothesized disturbance dopaminergic neurotransmission. patients matched healthy...
New Findings What is the central question of this study? Can physiological concentrations metabolite combinations evoke sensations fatigue and pain when injected into skeletal muscle? If so, what are evoked? main finding its importance? Low protons, lactate ATP evoked related to fatigue. Higher these metabolites pain. Single no sensations. This suggests that combination an ASIC receptor a purinergic P2X required for signalling The results also suggest two types sensory neurons encode...
The anticipation of clinical benefit, a crucial component placebo analgesia, has been suggested to be special case reward anticipation. Since processing is closely linked the ventral striatum and neurotransmitter dopamine, we examined relationships between brain gray matter, analgesic response, personality traits associated with dopaminergic neurotransmission. We report that dopamine-related predict substantial portion pain relief an individual gains from sham treatment. Voxel-based...
Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a common form of chronic vulvar pain with unknown aetiology. Central regulatory mechanisms have been suggested to be disrupted in PVD, and consequently, PVD may associated anatomical changes modulatory brain areas. Here, we compared total gray matter volumes regional densities between 14 medication-free young women relatively short-standing (1 9 yrs) control subjects using whole voxel-based morphometry (VBM). VBM revealed that had significantly higher...
Abstract Background Disturbances in body perception are increasingly acknowledged as a feature of complex regional pain syndrome ( CRPS ). Conventional treatments have limited success particularly among those with long‐standing disease. Understanding the relationship between disturbance, and tactile acuity might provide insight into alternative avenues for treatment. The aim this study was to test hypotheses that (1) disturbance is positively related (2) decreased increased disturbance....
Although brain plasticity in the form of gray matter increases and decreases has been observed chronic pain, factors determining patterns directionality are largely unknown. Here we tested hypothesis that fibromyalgia interacts with age to produce distinct differences, specifically younger older patients, when compared age-matched healthy controls. The relative contribution pain duration was also investigated. Regional measured (n = 14, mean 43, range 29-49) 14; 55, 51-60) female patients...
Uncontrollable, compared with controllable, painful stimulation can lead to increased pain perception and activation in pain-processing brain regions, but it is currently unknown which areas mediate this effect. When the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) seems inhibit processing, although unclear how achieved. Using fMRI healthy volunteers, we examined during controllable uncontrollable answer these questions. In task, participants self-adjusted temperatures applied their hand of or warm...
The opioid system plays a critical role in both the experience and management of pain. Although acute activation can lead to pain relief, effects chronic on remain opaque. Cross-sectional positron emission tomography (PET) studies show reduced availability brain receptors patients with but are unable (1) determine whether these changes due itself or preexisting medication-induced differences endogenous system, (2) identify neurobiological substrate receptor availability. We investigated...
Fibromyalgia is considered a stress-related disorder, and hypo- as well hyperactive stress systems (sympathetic nervous system hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) have been found. Some observations raise doubts on the view that alterations in these are solely responsible for fibromyalgia symptoms. Cumulative evidence points at dysfunctional transmitter may underlie major symptoms of condition. In addition, all found to be altered influence body's systems. Since both change during chronic...
The impact of early life events is increasingly becoming apparent, as studies investigate how childhood can shape long-term physiology and behaviour. Fibromyalgia (FM), which characterised by increased pain sensitivity a number affective co-morbidities, has an unclear etiology. This paper discusses risk factors from that may increase the occurrence or severity FM in later life: experience during neonatal causes long-lasting changes nociceptive circuitry increases older organism; premature...
Abstract Background Previous studies suggest pain sensitivity may be decreased in obesity, but it is unknown whether this a global or site‐specific phenomenon related to the amount of excess fat. Methods Design: cross‐sectional study comparing obese and non‐obese participants on body sites with much little subcutaneous fat obesity. Hot cold sensory detection thresholds, tolerance subjective ratings for (0 ° C ) hot (48 stimulus were assessed using 16 × mm thermode ( M edoc, I srael) forehead...
Chronic pain patients present with cortical gray matter alterations, observed anatomical magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Reduced regional volumes are often interpreted to reflect neurodegeneration, but studies investigating the cellular origin of changes lacking. We used multimodal imaging compare 26 postmenopausal women fibromyalgia 25 healthy controls (age range: 50–75 years) test whether volume decreases in chronic associated compromised neuronal integrity. Regional were largely...
In studies of cognitive processing using tasks with externally directed attention, regions showing increased (external-task-positive) and decreased or "negative" [default-mode network (DMN)] fMRI responses during task performance are dynamically responsive to increasing difficulty. Responsiveness (modulation signal by load) has been linked directly successful in external-task-positive but not DMN regions. To investigate whether a is required for performance, we compared healthy human...