Chronic Pain, Chronic Stress and Depression: Coincidence or Consequence?

2001/12/01 by G. Blackburn‐Munro, Gordon Blackburn-Munro, R. E. Blackburn‐Munro +1 · 1 citation
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology #Pain Mechanisms and Treatments #Stress Responses and Cortisol

paper · doi:10.1046/j.0007-1331.2001.00727.x

openalex publication_date 2001/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Chronic pain and depressive illness are debilitating disease states that are variably resistant to currently available therapeutic agents. Animal models of chronic pain are associated with activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, upon which chronic pain acts as an inescapable stressor. Inescapable stress is also associated with 'depressive-like' symptoms in experimental animals. Based on reports of the comorbidity between chronic pain and depressive illness in human patients, it is possible that these disease states are linked, via chronic stress-induced HPA dysfunction. Here, we discuss the possible involvement of the HPA axis in the aetiology of both chronic pain and clinical depression, and suggest a strategy for the development of novel pharmacotherapies.

Citations

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