Gonadal hormones and sex differences in pain reactivity.
BACKGROUND
Sex differences in the response threshold to painful stimuli and the higher number of chronic pain syndromes in women than in men have prompted a series of studies on lower animals and humans aimed at clarifying the role of gonadal hormones in pain.


OBJECTIVE
This article examines the morphologic and functional aspects of gonadal hormone systems and the relations between gonadal hormones and pain circuits, to identify areas deserving of increased attention in elucidating the endocrine mechanisms that contribute to abnormal pain states.
Aloisi
Anna Maria
AM
Department of Physiology, University of Sienna, Italy. aloisi@unisi.it
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006066:Gonads / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*
D000728:Androgens; D004967:Estrogens; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones