Chronic Pain-Related Remodeling of Cerebral Cortex – ‘Pain Memory‘: A Possible Target for Treatment of Chronic Pain

Abstract

SUMMARY Chronic pain is a major health problem worldwide, yet its management is nonspecific and often insufficient. In order to be able to alleviate chronic pain, it is crucial to understand the profound and comprehensive mechanisms by which chronic pain is triggered and processed in higher brain areas. Painful stimuli are processed by an intricate axis of peripheral and central components. Adding to the inherent complexity, the system is highly dynamic, undergoing constant plastic changes that often lead to perpetuation of pain. Given the key role that the cerebral cortex plays in sensory perception, understanding pain-related changes in cortical areas allocated to pain sensation is crucial. This review aims to summarize present research on pain-related plastic changes in the cerebral cortex.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank T Golan-Lev for designing the graphics of Figure 1.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.