The Endocannabinoid System and Pain: New Translational Vistas from Preclinical and Clinical Research

Session Title: The Endocannabinoid System and Pain: New Translational Vistas from Preclinical and Clinical Research

Topic: BASIC SCIENCE

Description of Workshop: This workshop will focus on recent advances in our understanding of the endocannabinoid system and its role in pain modulation. In a translational approach, the workshop brings together 3 expert speakers across 3 different countries and career stages who will cover (1) cutting-edge preclinical research in animal models of pain supporting the contention that the endocannabinoid system represents a viable therapeutic target, (2) novel experimental pain studies in healthy humans demonstrating a physiological role for the endocannabinoid system in pain sensitivity, and (3) novel clinical research in patients with lived experience of chronic pain which is relevant to endocannabinoid-based biomarker and therapeutic discovery.

Dr. Andrea Hohmann (Indiana University) will introduce the endocannabinoid signaling system and mechanisms involved in the synthesis and degradation of endocannabinoids and related lipids. Dr. Hohmann will present preclinical evidence from her laboratory documenting therapeutic potential of global and peripherally restricted inhibitors of endocannabinoid deactivation in preclinical models of models of neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain and incisional injury, and will also highlight a role for the endocannabinoid system in mechanisms of action of a commonly used analgesic, acetaminophen.

Dr. David Finn (University of Galway, Ireland) will present novel data from novel preclinical and clinical research in his laboratory relating to the endocannabinoid system and low back pain. His talk will include work using an animal model of low back pain associated with intervertebral disc injury in which his group have demonstrated alterations in endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-dependent synaptic plasticity within the prefrontal cortex, and therapeutic potential of pharmacological inhibitors of endocannabinoid deactivation. Dr. Finn will also present novel data demonstrating alterations in, and relationships between, pain, negative affect and the endocannabinoid system in human patients with chronic low back pain.

Dr. Massieh Moayedi (University of Toronto, Canada) will present three novel sets of data on the contribution of endocannabinoids to individual differences in pain sensitivity and modulation in humans. The first study investigated the relationship between pain sensitivity as measured by standard quantitative sensory tests and baseline, circulating endocannabinoids. The second study investigated whether baseline, circulating endocannabinoids and beta-endorphin levels are associated with individual differences in heat pain sensitivity stimulus-response curves. The third study investigated the contribution of endocannabinoids and beta-endorphin levels to individual differences in placebo analgesia. Together, these data show the interaction of the intrinsic opioidergic and cannabinoidergic systems in shaping human pain sensitivity.

Collectively, the workshop will provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art update on the role of the endocannabinoid system in pain control – physiological and pathophysiological – and its potential as a source of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for improved and personalized management chronic pain.