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Updated: Sep 18, 2025
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Dynamic Quantitative Sensory Testing to Characterize Central Pain Processing
Published on: February 16, 2017
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Sensory processing in medically unexplained pain syndrome. A systematic review.
Nicole Quodling1,2, Norman Hoffman1, Frederick Robert Carrick1,3,4,5
1The Carrick Institute, FL, United States.
Frontiers in Pain Research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
|June 23, 2025
Summary
Chronic pain, including neuropathic pain (NP) and central sensitization (CS), is linked to sensory processing disorders. Reduced sensory thresholds may serve as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Medicine
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- Chronic pain, encompassing neuropathic pain (NP) and central sensitization (CS) syndromes, is a complex condition influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.
- Comorbidities with functional disorders and a lack of clinical biomarkers complicate diagnosis and treatment, causing distress for patients and healthcare providers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between neuropathic pain (NP), central sensitization (CS) syndromes, and sensory processing disorders.
- To identify potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain conditions.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was performed on the PubMed database.
- Keywords included "Central Sensitization," "Fibromyalgia," "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome," "Neuropathic Pain," and sensory modalities (Vision, Audition, Olfaction, Touch, Taste, Proprioception).
- Articles published between 2018 and 2023 were included, with 78 studies retained after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Main Results:
- Emerging themes indicate a comorbidity between chronic pain conditions, especially those with central sensitization (CS), and reduced sensory thresholds.
- Sensory evaluation examinations, including cranial nerve assessments, show promise.
Conclusions:
- Reduced sensory thresholds are associated with chronic pain conditions characterized by central sensitization (CS).
- Cranial nerve and sensory evaluation examinations may serve as valuable biomarkers for diagnosing and potentially treating chronic pain and associated sensory processing disorders.
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