AAPT Diagnostic Criteria for Central Neuropathic Pain

Central neuropathic pain, which is pain caused by a lesion or disease of the central somatosensory nervous system, is a serious consequence of spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions affecting the central nervous system. A collaborative effort between the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks public-private partnership and the American Pain Society, the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT) initiative, invited a working group to develop diagnostic criteria for central neuropathic pain. The criteria for central neuropathic pain that were developed expand upon existing criteria for neuropathic pain and the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision draft criteria to ensure consistency. This article focuses on central neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury, stroke, and multiple sclerosis, but the AAPT framework can be extended to central pain due to other causes such as traumatic brain injury. The classification of central neuropathic pain is organized according to the AAPT multidimensional framework, specifically: 1) core diagnostic criteria, 2) common features, 3) common medical and psychiatric comorbidities, 4) neurobiological, psychosocial, and functional consequences, and 5) putative neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms, risk factors, and protective factors. Perspective: The AAPT chronic central neuropathic pain taxonomy provides a classification for central pain associated with spinal cord injury, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. The diagnostic criteria are organized according to the AAPT multidimensional framework, specifically: 1) core diagnostic criteria, 2) common features, 3) common medical and psychiatric comorbidities, 4) neurobiological, psychosocial, and functional consequences, and 5) putative neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms, risk factors, and protective factors.