Social Buffering and Biomarkers in Two Primary Chronic Pain Disorders
By developing and implementing Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI) tailored to these patient populations, the project seeks to understand how social buffering can influence nociceptor excitability and systemic biomarkers associated with chronic pain resolution.
Background
Chronic pain conditions such as CRPS and FMS are often modulated by social factors. Findings from the first funding period demonstrated that specific types of social support can either alleviate or exacerbate chronic pain. Using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), previous work captured real-time fluctuations in pain and social interactions in CRPS patients. However, further studies are required to understand the underlying physiological mechanisms and extend these findings to FMS patients.
Preliminary data suggest that social interactions influence autonomic nervous system activity, hormonal responses, and immune function, which in turn modulate nociceptor excitability. Understanding these top-down effects is critical for identifying biomarkers that predict pain resolution or persistence in CRPS and FMS.
Research Objective
This project focuses on four central objectives:
Develop and evaluate Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI) for CRPS patients,
Establish and implement EMI for FMS patients and assess social modulation of pain in daily life,
Identify biomarkers that distinguish between resolving and non-resolving,
Analyze nociceptor excitability and spontaneous activity in CRPS and FMS patients through microneurography.
Significance
NP5 combines real-time social interventions with advanced physiological and biomarker analyses to explore mechanisms underlying chronic pain resolution in CRPS and FMS. This integrated approach is expected to yield novel insights into the role of social buffering in pain modulation. The findings will contribute to developing personalized therapeutic strategies and inform future clinical interventions aimed at enhancing chronic pain management.
Research Team NP5
Principal investigators
Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Grit Hein
Translational Social Neurosciences Unit, Department of Psychiatry
University Hospital Würzburg
Prof. Dr. Barbara Namer, MD
Department of Anesthesiology and Center for Interdisciplinary Pain Medicine
University Hospital Würzburg
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Claudia Sommer, MD
Speaker of KFO 5001
Department of Neurology and Department of Anesthesiology
University Hospital Würzburg
Team
Annalena Jachnik, PhD Student
Mona Hashemianahmadi, PhD Student
Emilia Lampe, PhD Student
