Psychobiological basis of inter-individual differences in pain sensitivity

At least one in five people worldwide suffers from chronic pain. As the prevalence increases with age, a steady increase in the number of people affected can be expected due to demographic change. Despite the high prevalence and the severe impairments resulting from pain symptoms, the clinical options for pain management are limited. It is known that a high endogenous sensitivity to pain favours the chronification of acute pain. However, the psycho-biological factors that cause inter-individual differences in pain sensitivity are largely unexplained. This research project aims to make a contribution to this:

Several studies were designed to investigate the influence of personality, attitudes towards pain, environmental influences and genetic disposition on pain sensitivity, as well as to clarify the question of which neural correlates predict pain sensitivity. Healthy individuals, chronic pain patients and subpopulations such as medical professionals, competitive athletes and individuals with a sadomasochistic sexual preference will be considered. The research project is also interested in the extent to which psychoeducation, meditation and mindfulness have an influence on the perception of pain.

The overarching aim of the research project is to develop a comprehensive psychobiological model of individual pain sensitivity from the study results obtained and to derive recommendations for action for individualised clinical pain management.