Pain Neuromodulation Group
Research group
01.01.2022 -
Institute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Leaders
Research Goals
- To evaluate the long-term outcome of neuromodulation therapies in chronic neuropathic pain using comprehensive patient and family data from medical records and national registries. We combine this data with objective monitoring of quality of sleep and physical activity.
- To improve neuromodulation outcome in chronic neuropathic pain by developing algorithms for optimizing patient selection and treatment.
- To investigate mechanisms of pain chronification and molecular effect of different neuromodulation therapies with activity-based protein profiling of serine hydrolases from CSF and blood.
Scientific and Societal Impact of Research
We expect that this research will produce extensive novel quantitative data on the use of drugs, comorbidities, quality of life, and familiality of chronic pain. This allows creation of new biomarkers to improve patient selection and to tailor the neuromodulation therapies for each patient based on their individual biological characteristics. Furthermore, results from mass-spectrometry and enzyme activity measurements are expected to increase the knowledge from mechanisms and may serve new targets for pain treatment.
Funding
Kuopio University Hospital State Research Funding, Medtronic Research Grant.
Keywords
Leaders
Professors
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Olavi Airaksinen
ProfessorInstitute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences -
Marja Hedman
ProfessorInstitute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences -
Ville Leinonen
ProfessorInstitute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences -
Esa Mervaala
ProfessorInstitute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Senior Researchers
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Rashid Giniatullin
Research DirectorA.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences -
Juha Savinainen
University LecturerInstitute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences -
Laura Säisänen
Senior ResearcherInstitute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Post-doctoral Researchers
Other group members
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Jukka Huttunen, Adjunct Professor, Head of Department, Neurosurgery (Kuopio University Hospital)
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Jens Christian Sorensen, Professor, Chair, Department of Clinical Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery (Aarhus University)
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Nils Danner, Postdoctoral Researcher, Neurosurgeon (Kuopio University Hospital)
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Henna-Kaisa Jyrkkänen, Postdoctoral Researcher, Neurosurgeon (Kuopio University Hospital)
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Mette Nissen, Postdoctoral Researcher, Neurosurgeon (Kuopio University Hospital)
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Hanna Kaijankoski, Doctoral Researcher, Physiatrist (Kuopio University Hospital)
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Nikolai Klimko, Doctoral Researcher, Resident in Neurosurgery (Kuopio University Hospital)
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Antti Martikainen, Doctoral Researcher, Psychiatrist
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Jaakko Määttä, Doctoral Researcher, Bachelor of Medicine (University of Eastern Finland)
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Tiina-Mari Ikäheimo, Research Nurse, Neuromodulation Nurse (Kuopio University Hospital)
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Anne Kaukovuori, Research Nurse, Neuromodulation Nurse (Kuopio University Hospital)