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ERA-NET NEURON┋CFA Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Neuroscience of Pain

Maintenance, improvement, and restoration of human health are of fundamental importance and a worldwide priority. Pain poses a significant global health challenge. At present, an estimated 20 per cent of the population suffers from chronic pain worldwide. Chronic pain describes persistent or recurrent pain that lasts longer than three months, irrespective of its cause. It has a devastating impact on those affected, their families, and society, as it contributes to a decreased quality of life, reduced ability to perform activities of daily living and work-related tasks, and significant healthcare costs.

Acute pain is an important warning signal of a threat to the body, such as an injury or a disease. Under certain circumstances, pain can persist despite successful treatment of the underlying condition, or because an underlying condition cannot be identified or treated successfully and becomes chronic. Despite its high prevalence, the mechanisms that cause and maintain chronic pain are still poorly understood. Chronic pain remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. It is a highly complex and subjective experience that can only be understood when considering the dynamic interplay of biological, psychological and social factors.

Due to the psychosocial factors of pain as well as the variety of mechanisms involved in the development of chronic pain, including peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms, interdisciplinary research approaches are needed to develop a better understanding of chronic pain, to improve its management, and ultimately to alleviate pain for the people affected. Research into the neuroscience of pain has the potential to enable earlier and more accurate diagnoses and facilitate the development of innovative, safe, effective, and accessible treatment strategies that recognise individual differences, paving the way for personalised pain management.

The 'Network of European Funding for Neuroscience Research' (NEURON) has been established under the ERA-NET scheme of the European Commission (www.neuron-eranet.eu). The ERA-NET NEURON aims to coordinate and optimise research efforts and funding programmes of its partner countries/regions in the field of mental, neurological, and sensory disorders. Under the umbrella of NEURON, a joint transnational call (JTC 2025) in the field of neuroscience of pain is launched in 2025.