Physiological and psychological factors associated with orofacial pain
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identification of physiological and psychological factors associated with chronic neuropathic orofacial pain
IRAS ID
257512
Contact name
Fiona M Boissonade
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
Chronic pain represents a major clinical problem that can severely affect the quality of life of the patients, and for which in many cases there are no satisfactory methods of treatment. Previous studies have shown that changes occurring at sites of nerve injury and inflammation, may be responsible for the onset and cause of pain. This project focuses on the expression of genes and molecules in nerves that may be playing a role in pain experienced by patients who have an injury to the lingual nerve that supplies taste and sensation to their tongue. Using a range of techniques, nerve tissue and biological samples will be collected from patients with and without pain, and analysed to determine the expression of specific genes and molecules. These findings will further our understanding of the cause of nerve injury-induced pain and any association with psychological factors such as anxiety, depressed mood, irritability, tension and sleep deprivation, and will help identify targets for new treatments of chronic pain.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0308
Date of REC Opinion
4 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion