This Research Topic aims to bring an understanding of the multifaceted relationship between physical exertion and its ensuing consequences – a diverse medley of biological and psychological adaptations with wide-reaching effects on the physical construct of vital internal systems and complex shifts in immune function.

This collection will bring together research on how physical strain and stress mold resilient physical and mental systems, readying them for a more strenuous future. The included studies will include an in-depth examination of exercise-associated pain, tracing its roots to the local environmental shifts induced by physical stress that modulate local pH levels and activate nociceptive channels while driving alterations in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) transcriptome. Furthermore, it will delve into the counter effects, demonstrating how exercise can fine-tune nociceptive signalling.

The research topic scope encompasses the varying manifestations of post-injury inflammation and pain, offering a detailed view of the remarkable transformations in the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory phenotypes in non-neuronal cells post-physical endeavor.

Together let us navigate the intricate labyrinth of both physical and mental aftermaths of extensive exercise and the resulting fatigue phenotype. An elaborate exploration into the potential benefits of physical stress on higher cognitive functions, adaptability, and resilience in response to stressors stemming from physical and environmental conditions also forms the crux of our research.

By dissecting the web of positive and negative biological adaptations, we aim to crystallize understanding of exercise’s impact on pain processing. The range of subtopics we would venture into includes but not limited to :

• the impact of physical exertion on the inflammatory phenotype of the macrophage,

• modifications in the DRG transcriptome following physical exertion,

• the pharmacology underlying the aversive fatigue state

• Regulations in the mesocorticolimbic system of the brain, consisting of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala (Amyg), nucleus accumbens (NAc), hippocampus (HIP), and ventral tegmental area (VTA) which plays an essential role in the making pain a chronic condition.

• Regulations by the descending pain modulatory systems acting in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM) with opioids and orexin etc.

• Modulations in the spinal dorsal horns via several mechanisms.

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Frontiers in Pain Research

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