Stress and sensitization are central concepts in chronic pain. Both can be a consequence and a contributor to the pain experience. This chapter describes the psychobiology of stress and... Show moreStress and sensitization are central concepts in chronic pain. Both can be a consequence and a contributor to the pain experience. This chapter describes the psychobiology of stress and sensitization within a multilevel perspective, indicating the impact of various forms of stress and sensitization on multiple psychoneurobiological processes (i.e., autonomic, endocrine, immune, and central processes) related to chronic pain. As a result of disordered stress regulation, sensitization may occur as a mechanism that explains how acute pain problems can become chronic and how acute pain problems can extend or generalize to other body parts or modalities. The evidence for stress and sensitization as consequences of or as contributors to chronic pain is reviewed, and possible underlying mechanisms are discussed. Next, strategies to reduce stress and sensitization and foster desensitization processes are described. The chapter concludes by introducing a motivational account of chronic pain informed by the stress and sensitization literature. Show less
In this chapter, we review recent studies on conditioned pharmacological effects on immune and endocrine responses in humans, and discuss challenges and opportunities for bringing these effects... Show moreIn this chapter, we review recent studies on conditioned pharmacological effects on immune and endocrine responses in humans, and discuss challenges and opportunities for bringing these effects into clinical practice. By altering physiological mechanisms in part independent of pharmacological agents, pharmacological conditioning has high clinical relevance, as illustrated in some patient studies. Methodological challenges for further investigation include broadening the spectrum of opportunities for conditioned pharmacological effects, by investigating conditioning of substances that have not or not often been used before (e.g., corticosteroids) and unraveling mechanisms by which pharmacological responses become conditioned, thereby identifying characteristics that make conditioning designs effective. As an opportunity to optimize external validity, we introduce a design in which the potential of pharmacological conditioning can be pretested in the laboratory. The feasibility of this design is demonstrated by a pilot study. Show less
