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Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are often reported by youths with chronic pain, and both ACEs and chronic pain disrupt how information is processed. However, it is unknown whether changes to shared neural networks underlie the relationship between ACEs and the development of pain symptoms. This study explored the relationships between ACEs, brain efficiency, and pain symptomology in youth., Methods: A community sample of youths aged 14-18 years underwent MRIs, answered trauma and pain questionnaires, and underwent pain sensory testing, twice, 3 months apart (N baseline  = 44; N follow-up  = 42). Sensory testing determined thresholds for mechanical and thermal stimuli. Global and local network efficiencies were evaluated using graph theory. Generalized estimating equations were applied to examine whether brain efficiency moderated the relationships between ACEs, pain intensity, and pain sensitivity (i.e., mechanical detection, heat pain, and temperature change thresholds)., Results: There was a significant interaction between ACEs and global brain efficiency in association with pain intensity (β = -0.31, p = 0.02) and heat pain (β = -0.29, p = 0.004). Lower global brain efficiency exacerbated the relationship between ACEs and pain intensity (θ X → Y|W = -1.16  = 0.37, p = 0.05), and heat pain sensitivity (θ X → Y|W = -1.30  = 0.44, p = 0.05). Higher global brain efficiency ameliorated the relationship between ACEs and pain intensity (θ X → Y|W = 1.75  = -0.53, p = 0.05)., Conclusions: The relationship between ACEs and pain symptomology was comparable to chronic pain phenotypes (i.e., higher pain intensity and pain thresholds) and may vary as a function of brain efficiency in youth. This stresses the importance of assessing for pain symptoms in trauma-exposed youth, as earlier identification and intervention are critical in preventing the chronification of pain., Significance: This article explores the relationship between ACEs, pain symptomology, and brain efficiency in youth. ACEs may affect how the brain processes information, including pain. Youths with lower brain efficiencies that were exposed to more ACEs have pain symptomology comparable to youths with chronic pain. Understanding this relationship is important for the earlier identification of pain symptoms, particularly in vulnerable populations such as youths exposed to trauma, and is critical for preventing the chronification of pain., (© 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Pain published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Pain Federation ‐ EFIC ®.)

Adults with chronic headache have altered brain hippocampal efficiency networks. Less is known about the mechanisms underlying chronic headache in youth. In total, 29 youth with chronic headache (10-18 years), and 29 healthy, age- and sex-matched controls tracked their headache attacks daily for 1-month period. Following this, they underwent a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan and self-reported on their pubertal status, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Graph-based topological analyses of brain networks, rendering hippocampal efficiency values were performed. T -tests were used to compare hippocampal efficiency metrics between patients and controls. Linear regression was used to examine significant hippocampal efficiency metrics in relation to headache frequency in patients, controlling for age, sex, pubertal status, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Patients had higher right hippocampal global efficiency, shorter right hippocampal path length, and higher right hippocampal clustering coefficient compared to controls ( P  < 0.05). Higher right hippocampal global efficiency, shorter right hippocampal path length, and higher right hippocampal clustering coefficients were positively associated with greater headache frequency ( P  < 0.05). The hippocampus is largely involved in memory formation and retrieval, and this data provides additional support for previous findings demonstrating the importance of the hippocampus and pain memories for the chronification of pain., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.)