A stochastic model is introduced here to investigate the molecular mechanisms which trigger the perception of pain. The action of analgesic drug compounds is discussed in a dynamical context, where the competition with inactive species is explicitly accounted for. Finite size effects inevitably perturb the mean-field dynamics: oscillations in the amount of bound receptors are spontaneously manifested, driven by the noise which is intrinsic to the system under scrutiny. These effects are investigated both numerically, via stochastic simulations, and analytically, through a large size expansion. The claim that our findings could provide a consistent interpretative framework for explaining the emergence of cyclic behaviors in response to analgesic treatments is substantiated.

Can a microscopic stochastic model explain the emergence of pain cycles in patients? / Francesca Di Patti; Duccio Fanelli. - In: JOURNAL OF STATISTICAL MECHANICS: THEORY AND EXPERIMENT. - ISSN 1742-5468. - STAMPA. - 2009:(2009), pp. 1-14. [10.1088/1742-5468/2009/01/P01004]

Can a microscopic stochastic model explain the emergence of pain cycles in patients?

DI PATTI, FRANCESCA;FANELLI, DUCCIO
2009

Abstract

A stochastic model is introduced here to investigate the molecular mechanisms which trigger the perception of pain. The action of analgesic drug compounds is discussed in a dynamical context, where the competition with inactive species is explicitly accounted for. Finite size effects inevitably perturb the mean-field dynamics: oscillations in the amount of bound receptors are spontaneously manifested, driven by the noise which is intrinsic to the system under scrutiny. These effects are investigated both numerically, via stochastic simulations, and analytically, through a large size expansion. The claim that our findings could provide a consistent interpretative framework for explaining the emergence of cyclic behaviors in response to analgesic treatments is substantiated.
2009
2009
1
14
Francesca Di Patti; Duccio Fanelli
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/833893
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