Chronic pain

6 papers10 findings

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

On aging: the drug’s trials ARN judged to be about aging, of every trial that tests it for any use.

No results posted: trials that ended more than a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper in ARN’s record.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

3 independent labs in 2 countries

Humans6

Outcomes

Aβ42

downin humans2

2 studies

Chronic pain decreases Aβ42 in humans.
“faster accumulation of Aβ pathology (CSF Aβ42 decline: b=‐.07, all p 's < .05).”
Humansrelative to mild or none
Association of Moderate‐to‐Severe Chronic Pain with Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer's Biomarkers in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
AAIC 2025 abstract25 Dec 2025
Chronic pain decreases Aβ42 in humans (b=-.07, p < .05).
“faster accumulation of Aβ pathology (CSF Aβ42 decline: b=‐.07, all p ’s < .05).”
Humansrelative to mild or none
Association of Moderate‐to‐Severe Chronic Pain with Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Biomarkers in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
AAIC 2025 abstract23 Dec 2025

Associations

ADL disability

upin humans1OR 1.86–2.27

1 study

Chronic pain predicts ADL disability in humans (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.71–3.01).
“baseline pain predicted higher risks of new-onset ADL disability in China (OR = 2.27, 1.71–3.01)”
Humansself-reported CVD3-year
Cross-National Pain And Functional Impairment In Older Adults With CVD: Insights From India, China, And Mexico
GSA 2025 abstract31 Dec 2025
Chronic pain is associated with ADL disability in humans (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.70–2.04).
“Adjusted models revealed significant associations between pain and ADL disability across all countries: India (OR = 1.86, 95% CI:1.70–2.04)”
Humansself-reported CVD
Cross-National Pain And Functional Impairment In Older Adults With CVD: Insights From India, China, And Mexico
GSA 2025 abstract31 Dec 2025

Dementia

upin humans1OR 1.78

1 study

Chronic pain raises the risk of dementia in humans (OR = 1.78, p < 0.05).
“Furthermore, a longer pain duration (>24 months) was associated with a significantly increased risk of dementia compared to a shorter duration (3-24 months) (OR = 2.60, p < 0.05; OR = 1.78, p < 0.05).”
Humanschronic pain duration 3-24 monthsn = 1,096
A dual-pathway model of depression's mediation between chronic pain and dementia
Experimental gerontology10 Feb 2026