ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology2023
Converging circuits between pain and depression: the ventral tegmental area as a therapeutic hub.
Review in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Contemporary evidence for central nervous system mechanisms underlying chronic pain perception, modulation, and chronification in adults: a scoping review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Two Neuroanatomical Subtypes in Fibromyalgia Patients: Distinct Morphological Patterns and Treatment Outcomes.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Trial
- Temporal multi-omic exploration of the ventral tegmental area in chronic pain and passive coping behaviors.iScience · 2026Article
- Novelty exploration-activated ensemble in the lateral hypothalamus confers analgesic and anxiolytic effects.Nature communications · 2026Article
- The Role of the Ventral Tegmental Area in Reward and Addiction: A Comprehensive Review.Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) · 2026Review
- Shared Mechanisms and Integrated Management of Post-Stroke Pain and Depression: A Comprehensive Review.Pain and therapy · 2026Review
- Recent progress in chronic pain-related negative emotions and cognitive dysfunction: insights into the mechanisms underlying neural circuitry.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2026Review
- Distinct and Shared Brain-Wide Activation Patterns in Mouse Models of Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- From Dogs to Robots: Pet-Assisted Interventions for Depression in Older Adults-A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Lateral habenula induces cognitive and affective dysfunctions in mice with neuropathic pain via an indirect pathway to the ventral tegmental area.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Article
- CXCR2 modulates chronic pain comorbid depression in mice by regulating adult neurogenesis in the ventral dentate gyrus.Acta pharmacologica Sinica · 2025Article
- Dopamine dynamics in chronic pain: music-induced, sex-dependent, behavioral effects in mice.Pain reports · 2025Article
- Modulation of comorbid depression of neuropathic pain by dopamine input from VTA to the ventral hippocampus.Theranostics · 2025Article
- Opioid system and related ligands: from the past to future perspectives.Journal of anesthesia, analgesia and critical care · 2024Review
- Migraine with comorbid fibromyalgia: psychological burden and impact on frequency and severity of migraine attacks.Frontiers in neurologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Chronic pain and depression are highly prevalent pathologies and cause a major socioeconomic burden to society. Chronic pain affects the emotional state of the individuals suffering from it, while depression worsens the prognosis of chronic pain patients and may diminish the effectiveness of pain treatments. There is a high comorbidity rate between both pathologies, which might share overlapping mechanisms. This review explores the evidence pinpointing a role for the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as a hub where both pain and emotional processing might converge. In addition, the feasibility of using the VTA as a possible therapeutic target is discussed. The role of the VTA, and the dopaminergic system in general, is highly studied in mood disorders, especially in deficits in reward-processing and motivation. Conversely, the VTA is less regarded where it concerns the study of central mechanisms of pain and its mood-associated consequences. Here, we first outline the brain circuits involving central processing of pain and mood disorders, focusing on the often-understudied role of the dopaminergic system and the VTA. Next, we highlight the state-of-the-art findings supporting the emergence of the VTA as a link where both pathways converge. Thus, we envision a promising part for the VTA as a putative target for innovative therapeutic approaches to treat chronic pain and its effects on mood. Finally, we emphasize the urge to develop and use animal models where both pain and depression-like symptoms are considered in conjunction.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.