The impact of anxiety on chronic musculoskeletal pain and the role of astrocyte activation
" Pain pressure thresholds and anxiety scores in people with knee OA are highly associated, and anxiety at baseline predicts future knee OA 1 year later. Our clinical data support the investigation of new targets for treating pain in high-anxiety patients with OA. We have successfully developed a rodent model of comorbid anxiety and OA, in which anxiety at baseline was associated with greater pain behaviour and an increase in activation of astrocytes in the PAG and ACC brain regions in the model of OA. The sensitivity of both pain responses and glial cell activation in the PAG to pharmacological intervention in this model suggests a potential role of the astrocytes in the link between anxiety and OA pain. "
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