Thesis supervisor: Boldizsár Czéh
co-supervisor: Valéria Tékus
Location of studies (in Hungarian): PTE ÁOK Abbreviation of location of studies: ÁOK
Description of the research topic:
Chronic primary pain is a relatively new term developed for conditions characterized by significant distress, suffering and incapacity without any direct underlying cause. Beside others, it includes Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Fibromyalgia (FM) which affect a high number of people in the population. However, the origins of CRPS and FM are different and they have distinct clinical phenotypes, while they do share many other features. Pain, allodynia and abnormal sensation develop in each syndrome and might exist on the same spectrum. Their pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood, the most likely mechanisms involve the classic and neurogenic pathways of inflammation mediated by cytokines and neuropeptides, intertwined with changes of the autonomic and central nervous system. Psychological mechanisms and the possible role of autoantibodies have also been suggested, but it is considered to be primarily centrally driven.
The available therapeutic drugs are often ineffective, or cannot be used on a long-term basis because of their side effects. There have been no major breakthroughs in the field of analgesics in recent decades, mainly due to the lack of rigorously designed clinical trials that take into account patient heterogeneity and co-morbidities, appropriate study methodology and translational animal models are also missing.
Therefore, here we aim to determine the translational values of animal models, investigate neuroinflammatory and neuro-immune mechanisms in the central nervous system, and test novel analgesic candidates in the most appropriate in vitro and in vivo model systems focusing on psychosocial stress and related depression as the most common co-morbidity. Despite being recognized as very important factors; it has not been addressed in this area neither in humans nor in animal models. Our aim is to identifying the key mediators and targets for novel analgesic drug candidates for fibromyalgia, CRPS potentially also beneficial for the common CNS comorbidities.
This project involves primarily animal experiments including pharmaco-behavioral tests and histopathological analysis of the central nervous system.
Number of students who can be accepted: 1
Deadline for application: 2024-05-16
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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