Love as a Modulator of Pain

Abstract

Pain is modulated by various factors, the most notable of which is emotions. Since love is an emotion, it can also modulate pain. The answer to the question of whether it enhances or reduces pain needs to be determined. A review was conducted of animal and human studies in which this enigmatic emotion and its interaction with pain was explored. Recent advances in neuroimaging have revealed similarities in brain activation relating to love and pain. At the simplest level, this interaction can be explained by the overlapping network structure in brain functional connectivity, although the explanation is considerably more complex. The effect of love can either result in increased or decreased pain perception. An explanation of the interaction between pain and love relates to the functional connectivity of the brain and to the psychological construct of the individual, as well as to his or her ability to engage resources relating to emotion regulation. In turn, this determines how a person relates to love and reacts to pain.

Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the analgesic effects of botulinum neurotoxin: A literature review

“…It has been shown to induce the upregulation of enkephalin and dynorphin gene expression, (Hossaini et al, 2014) and its involvement in regulating prodynorphin transcription in dorsal horn neurons leads to the production of persistent pain sensitization (Gao & Ji, 2009; Makino et al, 2017). Dynorphin protein, a result of c‐Fos expression, plays a vital role in the development of pain conditions by inducing neurotoxicity in spinal cord neurons, resulting in allodynia and hyperalgesia (Ahmad & Ismail, 2002). Therefore, preventing the upregulation of c‐Fos expression may be a therapeutic strategy to prevent pain pathology.…”