bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Oct. 12, 2024
Bayesian
accounts
of
perception,
such
as
predictive
processing,
suggest
that
perceptions
integrate
expectations
and
sensory
experience,
thus
assimilate
to
expected
values.
Furthermore,
more
precise
should
have
stronger
influences
on
perception.
We
tested
these
hypotheses
in
a
paradigm
manipulates
both
the
mean
value
precision
cues
within-person.
Forty-five
participants
observed
cues-presented
ratings
from
10
previous
participants-with
varying
cue
means,
variances
(precision),
skewness
across
trials.
Participants
reported
regarding
painfulness
thermal
stimuli
or
visual
contrast
flickering
checkerboards.
Subsequently,
similar
were
each
followed
by
noxious
stimulus.
While
assimilated
values
modalities,
cues'
mainly
affected
ratings.
behavioral
computational
models
revealed
biased
towards
extreme
low-pain
specifically.
fMRI
analysis
systems
related
higher-level
affective
cognitive
processes-including
assimilation
neuromarker
endogenous
contributions
pain
nucleus
accumbens,
activity
consistent
with
aversive
prediction-error-like
encoding
periaqueductal
gray
during
perception-but
not
early
perceptual
processing.
Our
findings
processing
theories
be
combined
mechanisms
selective
attention
better
fit
empirical
findings,
expectation
generation
its
effects
are
mostly
modality-specific
operate
processes
rather
than
Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
50(2), P. 110 - 120
Published: Feb. 1, 2025
Pain
affects
millions
worldwide,
posing
significant
challenges
in
diagnosis
and
treatment.
Despite
advances
understanding
pain
mechanisms,
there
remains
a
critical
need
for
validated
biomarkers
to
enhance
diagnosis,
prognostication,
personalized
therapy.
This
review
synthesizes
recent
advancements
identifying
validating
acute
chronic
biomarkers,
including
imaging,
molecular,
sensory,
neurophysiological
approaches.
We
emphasize
the
emergence
of
composite,
multimodal
strategies
that
integrate
psychosocial
factors
improve
precision
applicability
management.
Neuroimaging
techniques
like
MRI
positron
emission
tomography
provide
insights
into
structural
functional
abnormalities
related
pain,
while
electrophysiological
methods
electroencepholography
magnetoencepholography
assess
dysfunctional
processing
neuroaxis.
Molecular
cytokines,
proteomics,
metabolites,
offer
diagnostic
prognostic
potential,
though
extensive
validation
is
needed.
Integrating
these
with
clinical
practice
can
revolutionize
management
by
enabling
treatment
strategies,
improving
patient
outcomes,
potentially
reducing
healthcare
costs.
Future
directions
include
development
composite
biomarker
signatures,
artificial
intelligence,
signature
integration
decision
support
systems.
Rigorous
standardization
efforts
are
also
necessary
ensure
clinically
useful.
Large-scale
collaborative
research
will
be
vital
driving
progress
this
field
implementing
practice.
comprehensive
highlights
potential
transform
management,
offering
hope
improved
personalization,
outcomes.
Medicines,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
12(1), P. 5 - 5
Published: Feb. 24, 2025
The
placebo
effect
has
been
widely
documented
across
various
medical
conditions,
demonstrating
its
ability
to
influence
both
subjective
and
objective
outcomes.
Placebo
responses
can
significantly
improve
symptoms
in
these
different
such
as
pain,
Parkinson’s
disease,
depression,
anxiety,
addiction.
Psychological
mechanisms,
particularly
the
power
of
patient
expectations,
appear
play
a
central
role,
with
neurobiological
evidence
supporting
activation
dopamine,
endogenous
opioids,
endocannabinoids
response
interventions.
Studies
have
demonstrated
that
injections
more
complex
procedures,
including
sham
surgeries,
produce
therapeutic
effects
comparable
real
treatments,
pain
management
neurological
disorders.
Moreover,
could
be
amplified
when
patients
are
aware
receiving
treatment,
shown
by
research
on
open-label
placebos
open
versus
hidden
treatments.
effectiveness
0.9%
sodium
chloride
solution
clinical
trials
is
debated,
some
studies
indicating
potential
induce
improvements,
though
it
may
not
an
ideal
control
inflammatory
conditions.
Advances
neuroimaging
revealed
treatments
trigger
tangible
biological
processes
brain
body
supported
psychological
physiological
mechanisms
interact,
suggesting
involved
observed
effects.
Overall,
growing
understanding
suggests
incorporating
placebo-based
strategies,
awareness
appropriate
ethical
considerations,
offer
significant
for
improving
outcomes,
chronic
mental
health,
Nature Communications,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
16(1)
Published: March 13, 2025
Abstract
Nature
exposure
has
numerous
health
benefits
and
might
reduce
self-reported
acute
pain.
Given
the
multi-faceted
subjective
quality
of
pain
methodological
limitations
prior
research,
it
is
unclear
whether
evidence
indicates
genuine
analgesic
effects
or
results
from
domain-general
reporting
biases.
This
preregistered
neuroimaging
study
investigates
how
nature
modulates
nociception-related
brain
responses
to
Healthy
participants
(N
=
49)
receiving
electrical
shocks
report
lower
when
exposed
virtual
compared
matched
urban
indoor
control
settings.
Multi-voxel
signatures
pain-related
activation
patterns
demonstrate
that
this
effect
associated
with
reductions
in
rather
than
cognitive-emotional
neural
processing.
Preregistered
region-of-interest
analyses
corroborate
these
results,
highlighting
reduced
areas
connected
somatosensory
aspects
processing
(thalamus,
secondary
cortex,
posterior
insula).
These
findings
enables
through
changes
nociceptive
processing,
advancing
our
understanding
may
be
used
complement
non-pharmacological
treatment.
That
can
achieved
easy-to-administer
important
practical
implications
opens
novel
avenues
for
research
on
precise
mechanisms
by
which
impacts
mind
brain.
Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Jan. 13, 2025
Chronic
pain
is
prevalent
in
the
US
and
a
major
source
of
disability.
Americans
are
familiar
with,
often
reliant
on,
pharmacologic
interventions
for
analgesia.
However,
nonpharmacologic
can
be
equally
effective
reducing
related
impairment.
The
complex
nature
chronic
specific
goal
reliance
on
opioid
analgesics,
together,
support
utilizing
more
comprehensive,
biopsychosocial
approach.
Although
this
approach
improves
clinical
outcomes
population,
ongoing
barriers
require
additional
research,
along
with
continuing
education,
to
generate
equal
alternative
management.
Policy
changes
systemic
effort
improve
current
practices
management
critical
provide
interdisciplinary
care
all
people
living
pain.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Feb. 16, 2025
In
placebo
analgesia,
prior
experience
and
expectations
lead
to
pain
suppression
by
the
administration
of
an
inert
substance,
but
causal
evidence
for
its
neural
basis
is
lacking.
To
identify
underlying
circuits,
we
reverse-translated
a
conditioned
protocol
from
humans
mice.
Surprisingly,
effect
suppresses
both
nociception
unconditioned
emotional-motivational
pain-related
behavior.
Descending
modulatory
neurons
in
periaqueductal
gray
(PAG)
are
critical
morphine
antinociception.
The
depends
on
input
PAG
medial
prefrontal
anterior
cingulate
cortices,
not
insular
cortex.
Conditioning
enhances
noxious
stimulus-evoked
endogenous
opioid
release
produce
analgesia.
Our
results
suggest
that
cortical
control
descending
system
(DPMS)
gated
rapid
signaling
during
trials.
This
study
bridges
clinical
preclinical
research,
establishing
central
role
DPMS
medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: April 11, 2025
Abstract
Late-onset
Tay-Sachs
(LOTS)
disease
and
late-onset
Sandhoff
(LOSD)
have
long
been
considered
indistinguishable
due
to
similar
clinical
presentations
shared
biochemical
deficits.
However,
recent
magnetic
resonance
imaging
(MRI)
studies
shown
distinct
cerebellar
atrophy
associated
with
LOTS.
In
this
study,
we
furthered
investigation
determine
if
the
is
globally
uniform
or
preferentially
targets
certain
regions.
We
utilized
DeepCERES
,
a
deep
learning
specific
segmentation
cortical
thickness
pipeline
analyze
differences
between
LOTS
(n=20),
LOSD
(n=5),
neurotypical
controls
(n=1038).
had
smaller
volumes
of
whole
cerebellum
as
well
lobules
IV,
V,
VI,
VIIB,
VIIIA,
VIIIB,
IX,
both
Crus
I
II
compared
controls.
patients
also
Cerebellar
functional
lesion
localization
implicated
V
VI
in
speech
articulation
execution
while
I,
VIIA,
among
others,
variety
behaviors
neuropsychiatric
symptoms.
Our
observations
provide
possible
anatomical
substrate
higher
prevalence
dysarthria
psychosis
our
but
not
patients.
Future
are
needed
for
direct
comparisons
considering
phenotypic
aspects
such
age
symptom
onset,
presence
severity
ataxia,
full
characterization
profiles,
molecular
pathology
fully
understand
dichotomy
observed
these
two
diseases.
Pain
is
heavily
modulated
by
expectations.
Whereas
the
integration
of
expectations
with
sensory
information
has
been
examined
in
some
detail,
little
known
about
how
positive
and
negative
are
generated
their
neural
dynamics
from
generation
over
anticipation
to
information.
The
present
preregistered
study
employed
a
novel
paradigm
induce
on
trial-by-trial
basis
mechanisms
using
combined
EEG-fMRI
measurements
(n=50).
We
observed
substantially
different
representations
between
anticipatory
actual
pain
period.
In
phase
i.e.,
before
nociceptive
input,
insular
cortex,
dorsolateral
prefrontal
cortex
(DLPFC),
anterior
cingulate
(ACC)
showed
increased
activity
for
directed
regardless
valence.
Interestingly,
differentiation
within
majority
areas
only
occurred
after
arrival
FMRI-informed
EEG
analyses
could
reliably
track
temporal
sequence
processing
showing
an
early
effect
DLPFC,
followed
insula
late
effects
ACC.
indicate
involvement
expectation-related
subprocesses,
including
transformation
visual
into
value
signal
that
maintained
differentiated
according
its
valence
during
stimulus
processing.
ERJ Open Research,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
10(5), P. 00335 - 2024
Published: June 27, 2024
Chronic
cough
is
a
prevalent
and
challenging
condition,
with
limited
treatment
options
available.
The
interpretation
of
clinical
trial
results
for
antitussive
drugs
complicated
by
the
presence
placebo
response,
which
can
confound
outcomes
impede
regulatory
approval.
This
review
aims
to
explore
impact
response
on
trials
medications
elucidate
underlying
mechanisms
involved.
multifaceted
nature
effects,
including
pharmacological,
psychological/neurobiological
nonspecific
discussed.
Additionally,
potential
solutions
address
in
future
medication
development,
such
as
strategic
study
design,
appropriate
choice
end-points
meticulous
patient
selection,
are
proposed.
More
progress
harness
this
issue
urgently
needed.