Interpreting Sex Differences in Chronic Pain: From Clinical Profiles to Molecular Pathways

Session Title: Interpreting Sex Differences in Chronic Pain: From Clinical Profiles to Molecular Pathways

Topic: EXPERIMENTAL (NON-CLINICAL) HUMAN STUDIES

Description of Workshop: Sex-related differences in chronic pain are increasingly recognized as critical to understanding the variability in pain perception, persistence, and treatment response. However, the integration of clinical, neuroimaging, and molecular perspectives remains limited. This workshop will address that gap by providing a comprehensive, translational framework for interpreting biological sex as a determinant of chronic pain mechanisms.

The session will begin with clinical and neuroimaging evidence, presented by Marcos Fabio Henriques dos Santos (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), who will discuss findings from large population-based datasets such as the UK Biobank. He will show how sex differences in brain morphology, connectivity, and pain phenotypes can guide interpretation and prediction of chronic pain outcomes.

Next, Romina Nassini (University of Florence, Italy) will explore molecular and preclinical mechanisms underlying sex-specific modulation of nociceptive signaling. Her presentation will cover differential expression of receptors, inflammatory mediators, and signaling pathways that shape pain sensitivity and treatment response in males and females.

Finally, Parisa Gazerani (Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway) will address hormonal and epigenetic modulators of chronic pain, drawing on her research in migraine and stress-related pain. She will discuss how sex hormones and epigenetic regulation contribute to variability in pain mechanisms and highlight translational implications for individualized pain therapy.

The panel will conclude with an integrative discussion, linking neuroimaging and molecular findings to clinical practice. Participants will leave with a better understanding of how sex differences influence pain mechanisms and how to incorporate this perspective into study design, data interpretation, and clinical decision-making.

This workshop will appeal to clinicians, neuroscientists, and translational researchers interested in improving precision pain medicine through a sex-aware approach that spans from molecules to the brain and behavior.

Speakers