How teens' bodies filter pain in overlapping pain conditions
Disrupted Spatial and Temporal Nociceptive Filtering in Adolescents with and Risk for Overlapping Pain Conditions
This project looks at whether teenagers with multiple overlapping pain problems process pain differently across their bodies and over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11164840 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would come to clinic for noninvasive sensory testing that uses brief, controlled noxious stimuli to measure how your nervous system amplifies or reduces pain. Tests include comparing pain from stimuli applied to different body areas (spatial tests) and from repeated or changing stimuli over time (temporal tests), using methods researchers call spatial summation, conditioned pain modulation, temporal summation, and offset analgesia. The research will compare young people with multiple overlapping pain conditions, those with a single localized pain problem, and healthy peers to see if distinct pain-processing patterns emerge. Findings aim to pinpoint which types of pain-filtering problems are linked to persistent, overlapping pain in youth.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents and young adults with two or more chronic overlapping pain conditions, as well as comparison groups of youth with a single localized pain condition or healthy controls.
Not a fit: People looking for an immediate new pain treatment or those unable to attend clinic visits or tolerate brief sensory testing may not receive direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help identify teens at risk for chronic overlapping pain and guide more targeted treatments to reduce pain amplification.
How similar studies have performed: Prior pilot work and adult studies using these quantitative sensory tests have found pain-processing differences, but applying this combined approach to youth with overlapping pain is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Cincinnati, United States
- Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr — Cincinnati, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: King, Christopher D — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: King, Christopher D
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.