CNAPCNAP

CENTER FOR NEUROPLASTICITY

AND PAIN (CNAP)

THOMAS GRAVEN-NIELSEN, Prof , DMSc, PhD

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Winnie

Jensen

Ole Kæseler

Andersen

Lars

Arendt-Nielsen

Herta

Flor

Brian

Cairns

Thomas

Graven-Nielsen

CNAP

Hypothesis: Chronic Pain and Neuroplasticity

No

Pain

Acute

Pain

Chronic

Pain

Maladaptive pain

neuroplasticity

Adaptive pain

neuroplasticity

No

Pain

Acute

Pain

Chronic

Pain

Maladaptive pain

neuroplasticity

Adaptive pain

neuroplasticity

Advantageous

neuroplasticity

Chronic Pain Neuroplasticity

Acute Pain

CNAP

CNAP

Overall Goal: Identify and Modulate Key

Features of Human Pain Neuroplasticity

Maladaptive pain neuroplasticity

Adaptive pain neuroplasticity

Maladaptive and advantageous

Adaptive and advantageous

Advantageous neuroplasticity

Time and Gain Probe

Mechanistic

Human pain

neuroplasticity

Mechanistic

Provoke

CNAP

Adequate Provocation and Probing Biomedical

Technologies: A Core Research Area

Medial Lateral Medial Lateral

0.24

0.12

0

-20246810

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

-20246810

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

-20246810

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

-20246810

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Day 0 (baseline) Day 2 (mild pain)

Day 2 (moderate pain) Day 2 (mild pain)

SPINAL

REFLEX

Probe

Human pain

neuroplasticity

c

Provoke

CNAP

Successful Outcome and Impact

Brain

Spinal cord

Periphery

Provocation

Probe

Probe

Probe

Modulation

Modulation

Maladaptive painneuroplasticity

Maladaptive and advantageous

Adaptive and advantageous

Advantageousplasticity

Adaptive pain neuroplasticity

Human pain neuroplasticity models

Ground-breaking Outcome and Impact

• How to provoke a transition to and away from maladaptive pain neuroplasticity in humans

• Relevant for next generation pain management / paradigm shift

CNAP