title: Stress-induced analgesia.
abstract: For over 30 years, scientists have been investigating the phenomenon of pain suppression upon exposure to unconditioned or conditioned stressful stimuli, commonly known as stress-induced analgesia. These studies have revealed that individual sensitivity to stress-induced analgesia can vary greatly and that this sensitivity is coupled to many different phenotypes including the degree of opioid sensitivity and startle response. Furthermore, stress-induced analgesia is influenced by age, gender, and prior experience to stressful, painful, or other environmental stimuli. Stress-induced analgesia is mediated by activation of the descending inhibitory pain pathway. Pharmacological and neurochemical studies have demonstrated involvement of a large number of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. In particular, there are key roles for the endogenous opioid, monoamine, cannabinoid, gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate systems. The study of stress-induced analgesia has enhanced our understanding of the fundamental physiology of pain and stress and can be a useful approach for uncovering new therapeutic targets for the treatment of pain and stress-related disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, NCBES Neuroscience Cluster and Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Ryan K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Finn
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000698:Analgesia / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010146:Pain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D017288:Pain Threshold; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*