Course Mechanisms, Clinical Presentation, and Treatment of Neuropathic Pain (online)

The course C326 Mechanisms, Clinical Presentation, and Treatment of Neuropathic Pain is being offered by the Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, 2027.

Criteria for participation: University degree in medicine, dentistry, nursing, or Master’s degree in other fields and/or postgraduate research fellows (PhD students and research-year medical students).

Requirements for participation: Participants are expected to have a basic understanding of pain physiology (undergraduate level). The course is designed for participants with a background in neuroscience, neurology, anesthesiology, rehabilitation, pharmacology, or related fields.

Aim: This course aims to provide a translational overview of neuropathic pain, bridging the gap between basic mechanisms and clinical applications. It emphasizes the interplay between experimental models, clinical phenotyping, and treatment strategies.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe peripheral and central mechanisms involved in neuropathic pain.
• Explain current approaches for clinical phenotyping, including pain biomarkers and sensory profiling.
• Evaluate treatment options from pharmacological therapies to neuromodulation.
• Critically appraise clinical trials in neuropathic pain research.
• Translate mechanistic insights into clinical contexts.

Workload:

• 28 hours of virtual contact sessions (lectures, and presentations)
• 20 hours of individual or group assignments

Content:

The course will be held bi-weekly over a period of four weeks. Sessions will include:

• Molecular Mechanisms: Talks on ion channels, gene expression, animal models, and mechanistic studies.
• Multimodal Pain Assessments: Focus on quantitative sensory testing (QST), pain-evoked potentials, and neuroimaging.
• From Mechanisms to Treatment: Translation of pathophysiological insights into diagnostics and therapeutics, with lectures on pharmacological treatment, neuromodulation, and microneurography.
• Clinical Trials in Pain: Discussions on trial design, outcome measures, and translational challenges.

Instructors:

• Jan Rosner, Aarhus University
• Páll Karlsson, Aarhus University
• Nanna Finnerup, Aarhus University
• Charlotte Nygaard, Aarhus University
• Sandra Sif Gylfadottir, Aarhus University
• Paulina Scheuren, University of British Columbia
• Michèle Hubli, University of Zurich
• Theodore Price, University of Texas
• Franziska Denk, King’s College London
• Daniela Menichella, Northwestern University
• Jan Vollert, Exeter University
• Prasad Shirvalkar, University of California
• Sylvia Gustin, University of Sydney
• Annina Schmid, University of Oxford

Venue: Virtual course (ZOOM or TEAMS)

Participation in the course is without cost for:

• PhD students, Health Research Year students from Aarhus University
• PhD students enrolled at partner universities of the Nordoc collaboration
• PhD students from other institutions in the open market agreement for PhD courses

Course dates:

• 01 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30
• 03 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30
• 08 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30
• 10 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30
• 15 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30
• 17 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30
• 22 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30
• 24 June 2027 14:00 - 17:30