Pain and Aging Research Translational Initiative

描述（由申请人提供）：如最近的医学研究所（IOM）报告所述，慢性疼痛是一个主要的公共卫生问题，影响1亿美国成年人，每年花费超过5000亿美元。衰老增加了慢性疼痛的风险，一半的老年人报告持续或复发性疼痛，衰老与更大的疼痛相关的身体和心理社会功能丧失有关。目前有关疼痛和衰老的知识是令人惊讶的有限，和改善的神经生物学和心理社会机制的理解与年龄相关的疼痛的变化是至关重要的，以通知干预措施，旨在减少老年人的疼痛。事实上，NIA最近发布了一系列计划公告，鼓励从衰老的角度研究疼痛（Pain in Aging PA-13-058，059和060），将其确定为高优先级的研究课题。我们的研究小组已经记录了疼痛敏感性和疼痛调制的实验室测量中与年龄相关的变化，例如老年人表现出增强的疼痛易化（例如疼痛的时间总和）和减弱的疼痛抑制反应（例如条件性疼痛调制）。内源性疼痛调节的年龄相关变化可能部分解释了临床疼痛风险的年龄相关增加。推进我们对疼痛和衰老的理解将需要一个协调的 翻译研究工作得到了为这一目的量身定制的足够基础设施的支持。K 07学术职业奖旨在开发一个大学范围内的计划，旨在促进和扩大疼痛和衰老的多学科研究，并提供物理和后勤基础设施，以支持疼痛和衰老研究工作。为了支持这一目标，我将追求职业发展计划，旨在提高他在老龄化研究的专业知识，提高他的领导能力，并扩大他的指导能力。此外，PI将在这些努力中得到由各自领域的国家和国际领导人组成的优秀外部和内部咨询委员会的支持。这一举措的长期成果将是加强佛罗里达大学疼痛和衰老研究的组合，将其提升到全国的突出地位。该研究目标通过解决以下具体目标来实现：具体目标1 -在佛罗里达大学制定一个积极和集中的疼痛和衰老多学科转化研究计划;具体目标2：加强物理和后勤基础设施，以支持疼痛和衰老的临床和转化研究;具体目标3：通过为各级初级学者提供疼痛和衰老方面的资源和指导，培养下一代老年疼痛科学家 职业发展。最终，UF疼痛和衰老研究转化倡议的发展将大大提高当地的研究环境，并将通过尖端研究调查疼痛经验中与年龄相关的变化的机制，推动该领域向前发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As detailed in a recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, chronic pain represents a major public health concern, affecting 100 million U.S. adults and costing more than $500 billion annually. Aging confers increased risk for chronic pain, with half of older adults reporting persistent or recurring pain, and aging is associated with greater pain-related loss of physical and psychosocial function. Current knowledge regarding pain and aging is surprisingly limited, and an improved understanding of the neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying age-related changes in pain is critical in order to inform interventions aimed at reducing pain in the elderly. Indeed, NIA recently has issued a series of Program Announcements encouraging studies of pain from an aging perspective (Pain in Aging PA-13-058, 059, & 060), identifying this as a high priority research topic. Our research group has documented age-related changes in laboratory measures of pain sensitivity and pain modulation, such that older adults exhibit enhanced pain facilitation (e.g. temporal summation of pain) and diminished pain inhibitory responses (e.g. conditioned pain modulation). The age-related changes in endogenous pain modulation may in part explain age-associated increases in risk for clinical pain. Advancing our understanding of pain and aging will require a coordinated translational research effort buttressed by sufficient infrastructure tailored for this purpose. Ths K07 Academic Career Award proposes to develop a University-wide program designed to facilitate and expand multidisciplinary research in pain and aging and to provide physical and logistical infrastructure to support pain and aging research efforts. In support of this goal, the I will pursue a career development plan designed to increase his expertise in aging research, enhance his leadership skills, and broaden his mentoring capacity. In addition, the PI will be supported in these endeavors by outstanding External and Internal Advisory Committees comprised of national and international leaders in their fields. The long-term outcome of this initiative will be to enhance the portfolio of pain and aging research at the University of Florida elevating it to national prominence. This research goal with be achieved by addressing the following specific aims: Specific Aim 1 - To develop an active and focused multidisciplinary translational research program on pain and aging at the University of Florida; Specific Aim 2: To enhance physical and logistical infrastructure in support of clinical and translational studies on pain and aging; Specific Aim 3: To foster the emergence of the next generation of geriatric pain scientists by providing resources and mentoring in pain and aging for junior scholars at all levels of career development. Ultimately, development of the UF Pain and Aging Research Translational Initiative will greatly enhance the local research environment and will move the field forward through cutting edge research investigating the mechanisms underlying age-related changes in the experience of pain.