Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39885090›Full record

SynthesisCurrent pain and headache reports2025

Neuroimage Signature in Post-Stroke Pain: A Systematic Review.

Andriy Buzhanskyy, Isabel Catarina Duarte, Assunção Vaz Patto, Helena Donato, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Abel Abejas, Teresa Lapa

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Current pain and headache reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Andriy BuzhanskyyFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal. a43104@fcsaude.ubi.pt.
Isabel Catarina DuarteCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, R. Santa Comba, Coimbra, 3000-548, Portugal.
Assunção Vaz PattoFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal.
Helena DonatoDocumentation and Scientific Service Director, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Praceta Prof. Mota Pinto, Coimbra, 3000-075, Portugal.
Miguel Castelo-BrancoCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, R. Santa Comba, Coimbra, 3000-548, Portugal.
Abel AbejasFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal.
Teresa LapaFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCentral Post-Stroke Pain (CPSP) is a debilitating condition with a significant prevalence in stroke survivors. Set apart by its refractory to treatment neuropathic pain, it appears to arise from lesions in the spino-thalamo-cortical pathways, particularly in the thalamus. Despite advances in neuroimaging techniques, the pathophysiology of CPSP remains poorly understood, with limited diagnostic criteria and therapeutic approaches.

objectiveThis systematic review aims to identify neuroimaging markers associated with CPSP, establish correlations between brain lesions and CPSP development, and explore the utility of neuroimaging techniques for diagnosis and prognosis. Secondary objectives involve establishing a link between CPSP and secondary brain area lesions and what type of pain patients with CPSP are more likely to experience.

methodsA systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Relevant articles were sourced from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, using a predefined search strategy targeting CPSP and neuroimaging studies (MRI, PET, SPECT). Studies involving adult CPSP patients with post-stroke neuroimaging were included. Data from 14 studies was analyzed, focusing on lesion locations, neuroimaging findings, and functional connectivity. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool.

resultsKey findings highlighted the association of CPSP with lesions in the ventral posterolateral and the ventral medial nuclei of the thalamus, spinothalamic pathway, and cortical areas like the insula and operculum. Functional connectivity studies highlighted the role of disrupted neural networks in pain perception. Limitations in the reviewed studies included small sample sizes, selection bias, and heterogeneity in study designs.

conclusionsNeuroimaging findings confirm the significance of thalamic and spinothalamic pathway lesions in CPSP pathophysiology. Despite these insights, gaps in research underline the need for larger, multicenter trials to identify reliable biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic targets. Advanced neuroimaging combined with machine learning could be the key to understanding and managing CPSP.

Indexed as

BrainNeuralgiaNeuroimagingStrokeHumansBrain imagingBrain lesionCentral post stroke painSpinothalamic pathwayStroke

Identifiers

PMID39885090

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.