Progress in Chronic Pain: Bridging Basic and Clinical Research

Dear Colleagues, 

Chronic pain, a complex and persistent condition lasting longer than three months, affects millions worldwide and significantly diminishes their quality of life. Over recent decades, scientific and clinical advancements have transformed our understanding of how chronic pain develops, persists, and manifests across individuals. In particular, the integration of advanced diagnostic techniques, including structural and functional neuroimaging, quantitative sensory testing, and molecular biomarker analysis, has revealed abnormal patterns of brain activity, altered connectivity, and systemic physiological dysregulation in affected individuals. These insights have led to the growing recognition of chronic pain not merely as a symptom, but as a distinct pathological condition of the nervous system, involving maladaptive neuroplasticity, neuroinflammation, and impaired emotional processing.

This expanding body of knowledge is reshaping the clinical landscape, enabling more precise characterization of pain phenotypes and supporting a multidisciplinary, systems-based approach to treatment. Medicine, biotechnology, and neuroengineering increasingly converge to address both the symptomatic and psychobiological dimensions of chronic pain. Such a paradigm shift facilitates earlier detection, better prognostic stratification, and more personalized, mechanism-targeted interventions that extend beyond temporary relief to long-term functional restoration.

This Special Issue aims to showcase recent advances in chronic pain research with direct relevance to clinical practice. We welcome original research articles, case studies, case reports, and reviews that explore the following topics: neurophysiological mechanisms and risk factors; diagnostic innovations; neuromodulation strategies; emerging pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies; digital health and wearable technologies; and personalized treatment approaches.

We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Helder Cardoso-Cruz
Guest Editor

Dr. Clara Monteiro
Guest Editor Assistant

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