Current Issue February 2012 | Vol. 13, No. 2

Wasan, et al

Little is known about whether chronic pain patients treated with opioids experience craving for their medications, whether contextual cues may influence craving, or if there is a relationship between craving and medication compliance. This report studied craving in 62 patients who were at low or high risk for opioid misuse, while they were enrolled in a program to improve medication compliance. Findings indicate that craving is a potentially important psychological construct. Targeting craving may be an important intervention to decrease misuse and improve prescription opioid compliance.

Schabrun, et al

Excitability of the motor cortex can be suppressed during muscle pain, yet the mechanisms are largely unknown. Short-interval intra-cortical inhibition (SICI) and intra-cortical facilitation (ICF) were examined as possible candidate mechanisms to underpin this change. Results indicate that muscle pain differentially modulates SICI and ICF. Although the functional relevance is unknown, the authors hypothesize that decreased facilitation and increased inhibition may contribute to the restriction of movement of a painful body part.