237: Bridging Clinical Pain Care and Neuroimaging Research: A Nurse-Led Translational Perspective

Topic: Clinical Science
Subtopic: Non-specific to any diagnosis, Developing methodology/technology, Imaging (e.g. fMRI, PET, MRS)

Background and Aims: Advances in pain neuroimaging have improved understanding of central pain mechanisms, yet translation of these insights into routine clinical pain care remains limited. This gap is particularly evident in complex clinical populations, where pain presentations are heterogeneous and influenced by cognitive, emotional, and functional factors. Clinically grounded perspectives are essential to ensure that neuroimaging research addresses meaningful patient outcomes. The aim of this poster is to examine key translational challenges between clinical pain care and neuroimaging research, highlighting the potential role of nurse-led contributions in improving alignment between research design and real-world pain management.

Methods: This poster draws on clinical experience in pain management and neurological research, alongside a focused review of literature on pain neuroimaging and clinical assessment. Translational challenges were examined across study design, pain phenotyping, participant inclusion, and outcome relevance. Ethical considerations related to participant burden, consent, and inclusivity in neuroimaging studies were explored. The analysis put an emphasis on how clinical nursing perspectives can inform study feasibility, participant support, and interpretation of neuroimaging findings within clinical pain care contexts.

Results: Several barriers to translation were identified, including misalignment between experimental neuroimaging paradigms and clinically meaningful pain outcomes, limited integration of patient-reported measures, and exclusion of individuals with significant disability or comorbidity. These challenges may disproportionately affect populations experiencing complex or persistent pain. Nurse-led involvement was identified as a valuable mechanism for enhancing pain phenotyping, improving participant engagement, and applying neuroimaging findings within clinical care pathways. Limited representation of nursing perspectives within neuroimaging research teams remains a key gap.

Conclusions: Improving translation between pain neuroimaging research and clinical practice requires interdisciplinary collaboration and greater integration of clinically grounded expertise. Nurse-led contributions can enhance methodological relevance, ethical oversight, and patient-centered interpretation of neuroimaging data. Strengthening these links has the potential to improve the applicability of neuroimaging research across diverse pain conditions, including neuropathic pain, and support more effective, person-centered pain care.

References: Tracey I, Bushnell MC. How neuroimaging studies pain. Neuron.

Apkarian AV et al. Brain mechanisms of chronic pain. Pain.

Dworkin RH et al. Improving pain assessment in clinical trials. Pain.

IASP. Translational pain research priorities.

Presenting Author: Irene Njoki Mburu
Submitting Author: Irene Mburu

Senior Author: Irene Njoki Mburu

IASP 2026 Global Year theme of Neuropathic Pain: No