Neural and Psychosocial Mechanisms Underlying Alcohol Use and Pain Interactions: Overview of Current Evidence and Future Directions.

Purpose Of Review: A growing body of research indicates bidirectional associations between alcohol use and pain. In this review, we highlight common neural and psychosocial mechanisms underlying pain and alcohol use and identify current gaps in the literature regarding alcohol/pain interactions. We also suggest future directions for the field moving forward, including more nuanced conceptualization of alcohol's negative reinforcing effects in the context of pain, broader use of clinically-relevant experimental pain induction modalities, and characterization of age, biological sex, gender, race, and ethnicity as moderators of pain/alcohol interactions.

Pain and alcohol consumption in virtual reality.

Research suggests situational pain may motivate alcohol consumption, suggesting that pain may be an antecedent for problematic drinking behavior. In this pilot project, we assessed the effect of a painful thermal stimulus on drinking topography in a virtual reality bar environment using real alcohol-containing beverages. We also examined psychosocial factors that may account for individual differences in pain as an antecedent for alcohol use.

Effects of acute alcohol administration on working memory: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Rationale: Alcohol-induced executive function deficits may underlie associations between alcohol, self-regulation, and hazardous behaviors. Studies examining the effects of alcohol administration on working memory, an important executive functioning component, have produced mixed findings. Acute alcohol effects on working memory remain unclear.

Development of a Novel Brief Quantitative Sensory Testing Protocol That Integrates Static and Dynamic Pain Assessments: Test-Retest Performance in Healthy Adults.

Objective: Quantitative sensory testing is an expanding pain research domain with numerous clinical and research applications. There is a recognized need for brief reliable quantitative sensory testing protocols that enhance assessment feasibility. This study aimed to integrate static (pain threshold, tolerance, suprathreshold) and dynamic (conditioned pain modulation, offset analgesia, temporal summation) pain reactivity measures into a brief 20-minute protocol that uses a single portable device.

The effects of cannabidiol and analgesic expectancies on experimental pain reactivity in healthy adults: A balanced placebo design trial.

Despite its frequent use for pain relief, no experimental pain research has tested the analgesic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in humans. The goal of this study was to experimentally test the effects of CBD and expectancies for receiving CBD on human pain reactivity. Using a crossover, 2 × 2 factorial balanced placebo design, drug administration (given inactive substance or given active CBD) and verbal instruction sets (told inactive substance or told active CBD) were experimentally manipulated.