Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2019
Ulises Coffeen, Francisco Pellicer
33 citations
Salvia divinorum, a plant native to southwest Mexico, has been traditionally used for inflammatory conditions and pain. Its main active component, salvinorin A (SA), is a potent hallucinogen that acts on κ opioid and cannabinoid type 1 receptors. Recent research has uncovered the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind SA's anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. However, due to SA's short duration and hallucinogenic properties, current research aims to develop analogues that provide long-lasting pain relief and reduced inflammation without psychoactive effects. This review examines the roles of S. divinorum, SA, and its analogues, focusing on analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties while also addressing psychoactive effects.
Journal of Pain Research
March 1, 2024
Christopher L. Robinson, Alexandra Fonseca, Efemena Diejomaoh et al.
32 citations
Psychedelics may help reduce pain symptoms associated with various chronic pain conditions, but more rigorous research—specifically randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials—is required to determine their effectiveness for chronic, non-cancer pain.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2025
Miaomiao Xiong, Yao Liu, Yingsi Liang et al.
6 citations
Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) is noninferior to opioid-sparing anesthesia (OSA) for managing pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and it leads to faster bowel recovery. In a randomized controlled trial with 81 adults, pain scores over 36 hours were similar between groups (area under the curve 7.3 for OFA vs. 6.9 for OSA; the difference was 0.384, below the noninferiority threshold of 1.0). Although early pain in the first 12 hours after PACU discharge was slightly higher with OFA, overall pain control was sufficient in both groups. Bowel recovery occurred sooner with OFA (13.8 vs. 15.5 hours). Other outcomes, including hemodynamics and patient satisfaction, were comparable.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2025
Wolf Mehling, Carrie E Brintz, Wendy Hartogensis et al.
4 citations
A modified mindfulness program for chronic low back pain, called Mindfulness-Based Pain Reduction (MBPR), was developed and tested in 58 patients. The curriculum added mindful interoceptive exposure to pain, pain neuroscience education, and yoga postures for low back pain. Participants attended 80% of sessions, and two-thirds of those receiving MBPR showed clinically meaningful improvements in pain intensity and interference scores (PEG scores improved >30%). The program was feasible and acceptable, warranting further testing in a randomized controlled trial.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2025
Wen-Wen Huo, Jia-Yu Qian, Han-Xue Zhao et al.
4 citations
Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) combining dexmedetomidine, esketamine, and sevoflurane is being compared with opioid-based anesthesia (OBA) using sufentanil and sevoflurane in a randomized trial of 180 adults undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lung resection. The primary outcome is the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include acute pain, pain at 1 and 6 months, opioid consumption, adverse events, and quality of recovery. The hypothesis is that OFA will lower chronic pain rates, reduce adverse events, and improve recovery.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2024
Christopher L. Robinson, Matthew Slitzky, Michael E Schatman et al.
4 citations
Psychedelics, historically used in cultural and medicinal contexts, are regaining attention in clinical research, especially for psychiatric conditions like refractory depression, despite their Schedule I status. With chronic pain posing a major health problem and few non-opioid treatments available, psychedelics are being explored as alternative therapies. The National Institutes of Health now funds this research, marking a shift from past limited support. Ethical concerns are significant, particularly for vulnerable populations with chronic pain that impairs autonomy. Researchers must navigate complex regulatory landscapes involving the FDA and DEA. Transparent collaboration among patients, researchers, and regulators is essential. The authors propose using principle-based research ethics—autonomy, beneficence, justice, and nonmaleficence—to guide responsible progress, balancing therapeutic promise with ethical integrity.
Journal of Pain Research
June 1, 2022
Sandra J Drozdz, Akash Goel, Matthew W Mcgarr et al.
2 citations
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) can, in specific circumstances, initiate and prolong clinically significant reductions in pain, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, while encouraging rapport and treatment engagement, and promoting abstinence in patients addicted to other substances. A systematic review of seventeen articles including 603 participants found that combining ketamine with psychotherapy, provided before, during, and after ketamine sessions, can maximize and prolong benefits despite much variance in how KAP is applied. Additional large-scale randomized controlled trials are warranted to understand better the mutually influential relationships between psychotherapy and ketamine in optimizing responsiveness and sustaining long-term benefits in patients with chronic pain.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2025
Martha O Kenney, Alexander T Limkakeng, Timothy N Ochoa et al.
1 citation
Barriers to a clinical trial of ketamine for acute sickle cell disease pain include lack of standardized protocols (50.6% of clinicians) and provider attitudes about ketamine (32.5%). Patients cited trust in providers and potential health benefits as facilitators but worried about safety, confidentiality, and time commitment. Clinicians showed varied comfort with ketamine, differing between sickle cell and emergency medicine specialists. Successful implementation requires multidisciplinary approaches, transparent communication, strong clinical frameworks, and patient-centered trial designs.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2025
Darren K Cheng, Robert Simpson, Rahim Moineddin et al.
A virtual Sahaj Samadhi Meditation program did not significantly outperform an active control (Health Enhancement Program) in reducing depressive symptoms among people with chronic pain and moderate depression. Within the meditation group, depressive symptoms decreased by an average of 3.97 points on the PHQ-9 at 12 weeks and 4.96 points at 24 weeks, both exceeding the minimal clinically important difference, while the control group showed no significant change. The trial enrolled 108 participants, with 89 randomized. The findings suggest potential benefits of the meditation program, but larger trials under non-pandemic conditions are needed to confirm effectiveness.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2025
Vlodeks Gromakovskis, Mārtiņš Gustavs Gūtmanis
A state of deep absorption and effortless concentration known as flow may act as a natural pain reliever by engaging attention, motivation, and reward systems in the brain. This review synthesizes evidence from experimental pain studies, virtual reality, music, sports, and rehabilitation showing that immersive attentional states can reduce pain perception. Flow-related neuroimaging reveals suppression of the default mode network and activation of attentional and reward circuits, overlapping with descending pain modulation pathways. Preliminary clinical studies indicate that people with higher dispositional flow experience less pain interference. The authors propose a framework called flow-induced analgesia as a testable pathway for future interventions such as virtual reality, gamified rehabilitation, and arts-based therapies.
Journal of Pain Research
January 1, 2022
Alexandra Ferreira-Valente, Benjamin P Van Dyke, Melissa A Day et al.
A single 20-minute session of hypnosis or mindfulness meditation, but not Christian prayer, produced small reductions in pain intensity and small increases in pain tolerance during experimental cold pressor pain in 232 healthy adults. Hypnosis showed a medium effect on pain tolerance compared to an attention control. Small within-group improvements in heart rate variability were also seen after hypnosis. Christian prayer yielded small, non-significant positive effects. The findings suggest that brief hypnosis and mindfulness meditation may be useful for acute pain self-management, with hypnosis slightly more effective.