"Cognitively perceived pain" - the cerebral structural and functional dynamics on its mechanism and therapy

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K09368
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 55050:Anesthesiology-related
• Research Institution: Gunma University
• Principal Investigator: OGINO Yuichi 群馬大学, 医学部附属病院, 講師 (20420094)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 痛覚変調性疼痛 / 非定型疼痛 / 非定型歯痛

Outline of Final Research Achievements

By acquiring and analyzing magnetic resonance images of the head of patients with atypical odontalgia (hereinafter referred to as AO), we have shown that the pathological mechanism of AO, a typical disease of nociplastic pain, which is due to the plasticity of the brain. It is well known that body part reorganization in the primary somatosensory cortex occurs in the pathology of neuropathic pain that has become chronic pain, and it is possible that the reorganization in the orofacial region of the primary somatosensory cortex that we found in the pathology of AO also represents the pathology of AO. It is highly possible that our findings may represent the pathology of AO.

Free Research Field

麻酔神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

非定型歯痛（AO）は典型的な非器質的疼痛疾患であり、軽微な歯科治療を契機に長引く痛みや違和感を訴える一方、明らかな器質的原因が見当たらない。臨床におけるAO治療においては、経験的に高容量の抗うつ薬治療が有効であるが、その治療機序までは残念ながら明らかにすることが出来なかったが、痛覚変調性疼痛の代表疾患であるAOの病態機序が脳のplasticity（適応性・可塑性）にあると言うことを示したことに本研究の学術的意義がある。なぜならば「痛覚変調性疼痛」という大きな疼痛病態の概念名称は定まったものの、実際に脳内の病態を明確に示唆した研究結果は多くないからである。特にAOでは初めての報告となるであろう。