Finding treatment targets through a new understanding of the link between neural plasticity and cognitive mechanisms in chronic pain

Chronic pain is a major health problem, and many patients suffer from pain in absence of any clear tissue- or nerve damage. Instead, their pain can be caused by abnormal regulation of nociceptive signals – called nociplastic pain.

The purpose of this 4-year project is to determine the association between pain and cognitive factors in the development and maintenance of nociplastic pain in humans. The goal is to identify modifiable aspects of the pain-cognition interaction that can be applied in the clinic.

We will perform longitudinal assessments of the interaction between chronic nociplastic pain and specific aspects of cognition, and its manifestations in the brain.During year 1 & 2, large-scale longitudinal data will be collected, measuring pain symptoms and cognition in patients with fibromyalgia pain and healthy controls.

A subsample of patients will perform weekly fMRI scans (8 weeks) to determine neural fluctuations that correlate to pain and cognitive functioning.

During year 3 & 4, in silico modelling will be applied to our fMRI data to extend the neuroimaging findings with computational modelling of treatment targets.This proposal will provide new knowledge about the significant variation and unpredictability that exists in the lived experience of pain.

It will uncover shared mechanisms between pain, cognition and brain function over time and aim to identify targets for therapy and prevention of chronic pain.