Chronic Pain and Cognitive Function in Older Adults
Summary
Chronic pain affects a substantial proportion of the global older population, most commonly arising from musculoskeletal conditions, osteoarthritis and degenerative spinal disorders. Beyond its impact on physical mobility and quality of life, persistent pain is increasingly recognised as a contributor to cognitive decline. Deficits may span memory, sustained attention and executive function, undermining daily activities, decision-making and independence. Neurobiological mechanisms include maladaptive neuroplasticity, pro-inflammatory signalling and degeneration of descending inhibitory pathways, while comorbid mood disturbances and sleep disruption further exacerbate cognitive load. Age-related vulnerability of brain structures involved in cognition may magnify these effects, and emerging imaging studies suggest structural and functional alterations in key regions such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The interplay of biological and psychosocial factors renders older adults particularly susceptible to a vicious cycle of pain and cognitive impairment. Recognition of this interconnection underscores the need for integrated management strategies that address both sensory and cognitive domains, with the ultimate aim of preserving autonomy and reducing healthcare burden.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Chronic Pain and Cognitive Function in Older Adults publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in chronic pain and cognitive function in older adults across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Chronic pain: Persistent or recurrent pain lasting longer than three months, often resistant to standard therapies.
Cognitive function: Mental processes including attention, memory, language, executive control and information processing speed.
Executive function: Higher-order cognitive abilities governing planning, decision-making, inhibition and cognitive flexibility.
Dementia: A syndrome characterised by progressive decline in multiple cognitive domains that interferes with daily activities.
eHealth: The use of information and communication technologies to deliver health services, education and self-management tools.
Prospective cohort: An observational study following a group of individuals over time to examine how exposures relate to subsequent outcomes.
References
- Evidence for Cognitive Decline in Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Neuroscience (2021).
- Chronic Pain in the Elderly: Mechanisms and Perspectives. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2022).
- Association between chronic pain and risk of incident dementia: findings from a prospective cohort. BMC Medicine (2023).
- eHealth-Integrated Psychosocial and Physical Interventions for Chronic Pain in Older Adults: Scoping Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research (2024).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.