The Biology of Chronic Pain: Applications in Clinical Practice

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, leading to suffering, disability and enormous social costs. Science has tremendously advanced our understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic pain. Breakthrough findings include functional and structural brain changes, neuro-inflammation, sensory changes, immune alterations, psychological problems, neurocognitive disorders, stress intolerance, sleep impairments, and (epi)genetic changes found in patients with chronic pain.

This Journal of Clinical Medicine Boutique Special Issue focuses on the exciting, broad field of the biology of chronic pain in humans. The Special Issue will include invited state-of-the-art papers, each addressing a key biological process of relevance to patients with chronic pain. These state-of-the-art papers are written by leading experts and key opinion leaders in the field, and will boost the impact and exposure of all papers to be included in the Special Issue. This Special Issue offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the breakthrough area of chronic pain, in sectors including, but not limited to: neuroimaging, neurophysiology, genetics, epigenetics, nutritional biology, stress physiology, sleep physiology, psychoneuroimmunology, immunology, and exercise physiology, among others.

We welcome submissions from anywhere in the world, as long as the focus of the paper is on the biology of chronic pain in humans. In line with the journal’s scope, preclinical studies cannot be considered. Manuscript formats can vary from literature reviews (systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, narrative reviews, or perspective articles) to original research (trials, cohort studies, experimental lab work, case–control studies) and consensus statements, as long as they are of high quality and focused on the biology of chronic pain in humans. Case reports and study protocols cannot be included. Authors publishing in this Special Issue will contribute to an exciting area of tremendous advancements!

Dr. Andrea Polli
Prof. Dr. Jo Nijs
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.