Département d'anatomie

Laboratoire du Pr Mathieu Piché

Le laboratoire de neurophysiologie de la douleur a été fondé en 2009 par le professeur Mathieu Piché. Le programme de recherche du laboratoire vise à mieux comprendre les mécanismes neurophysiologiques de la douleur. Nous nous intéressons plus particulièrement aux fonctions et aux dysfonctions des mécanismes de la perception et de la régulation de la douleur ainsi qu’aux facteurs biopsychosociaux qui les influencent. 

Le premier axe de recherche concerne les mécanismes cérébraux des interactions bidirectionnelles entre la douleur et la cognition, soit les effets perturbateurs de la douleur sur la cognition et les effets inhibiteurs de la cognition sur la douleur.

Le deuxième axe de recherche concerne les mécanismes du cerveau et de la moelle épinière qui produisent le soulagement des douleurs musculosquelettiques lors d’interventions non pharmacologiques, incluant la chiropratique et des interventions cognitives.

Finalement, le troisième axe de recherche concerne les mécanismes cérébraux de l’hypersensibilité thermique et mécanique chez des modèles animaux de douleur lombaire chronique primaire et de déprivation visuelle.

L’équipe de recherche comprend des ingénieurs et des professionnels de la santé, incluant chiropraticiens, psychologues, et sages-femmes. Les travaux de recherche du laboratoire sont réalisés avec des partenaires académiques au Québec, dans le reste du Canada, et au Japon. Nos méthodes de recherche incluent l’électroencéphalographie et la psychophysique ainsi que l’électrophysiologie animale.

 

Formations

   

Inrétêts de recherche

Publications

PUBLICATIONS EN CARRIÈRE : ResearchGate

PUBLICATIONS SÉLECTIONNÉES

Articles publiés 

Kamyab, G., Gagnon-Girouard, M. P., Deldar, Z., Ghazi-Saidi, L., & Piché, M. (2025). Assessing gender role attributes in native Persian speakers: translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Persian version of the personal attribute questionnaire. Front Sociol, 10, 1535815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1535815

Massé-Alarie, H., Desgagnés, A., Côté-Picard, C., Liberty, O., Langevin, P., Piché, M., & Tousignant-Laflamme, Y. (2025). Comparisons of the effects of psychologically-informed and usual physiotherapy on pain sensitivity in chronic low back pain: an exploratory randomized controlled trial. Arch Physiother, 15, 32–41. https://doi.org/10.33393/aop.2025.3323

Provencher, B., & Piché, M. (2025). C-fiber-related brain responses evoked by laser heat pulses applied to the back. J Physiol Sci, 75(2), 100018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphyss.2025.100018

Wagenaar-Tison, A., Deldar, Z., Bergeron, A., Provencher, B., Northon, S., Rustamov, N., Blanchette, I., Sirois, S., & Piché, M. (2025). Pupil dilation evoked by painful electrical stimulation is abolished during pain inhibition by distraction. J Physiol Sci, 75(2), 100026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphyss.2025.100026

Desgagnés, A., Côté-Picard, C., Gaumond, A., Langevin, P., Piché, M., Pagé, G., Pinard, A. M., Tousignant-Laflamme, Y., & Massé-Alarie, H. (2024). Efficacy of a Psychologically-Informed Physiotherapy Intervention in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain at High Risk of Poor Prognosis: A Pilot and Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial. Physiother Can, 76(2), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.3138/ptc-2023-0038

Gevers-Montoro, C., Romero-Santiago, B., Medina-García, I., Larranaga-Arzamendi, B., Álvarez-Gálovich, L., Ortega-De Mues, A., & Piché, M. (2024). Reduction of Chronic Primary Low Back Pain by Spinal Manipulative Therapy is Accompanied by Decreases in Segmental Mechanical Hyperalgesia and Pain Catastrophizing: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Dual-blind Mixed Experimental Trial. J Pain, 25(8), 104500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2024.02.014

Nahman-Averbuch, H., Piché, M., Bannister, K., & Coghill, R. C. (2024). Involvement of propriospinal processes in conditioned pain modulation. Pain, 165(9), 1907–1913. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003217

Gevers-Montoro, C., Ortega-De Mues, A., & Piché, M. (2023). Mechanisms of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for patients with chronic primary low back pain: protocol for a mechanistic randomised placebo-controlled trial. BMJ Open, 13(2), e065999. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065999

Gevers-Montoro, C., Puente-Tobares, M., Monréal, A., Conesa-Buendía, F. M., Piché, M., & Ortega-De Mues, A. (2023). Urinary TNF-α as a potential biomarker for chronic primary low back pain. Front Integr Neurosci, 17, 1207666. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2023.1207666

Khatibi, A., Roy, M., Chen, J. I., Gill, L. N., Piche, M., & Rainville, P. (2023). Brain responses to the vicarious facilitation of pain by facial expressions of pain and fear. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsac056

Paquette, T., Eskandari, N., Leblond, H., & Piché, M. (2023). Spinal neurovascular coupling is preserved despite time-dependent alterations of spinal cord blood flow responses in a rat model of chronic back pain: implications for functional spinal cord imaging. Pain, 164(4), 758–770. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002762

Piché, M. (2023). Mechanistic perspective on conditioned pain modulation. Pain, 164(1), e1–e2. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002717

Gevers-Montoro, C., Romero-Santiago, M., Losapio, L., Conesa-Buendía, F. M., Newell, D., Álvarez-Galovich, L., Piché, M., & Ortega-De Mues, A. (2022). Presence of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Urine Samples of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain Undergoing Chiropractic Care: Preliminary Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study. Front Integr Neurosci, 16, 879083. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2022.879083

Khosravi, H., Eskandari, N., Provencher, B., Paquette, T., Leblond, H., Khalilzadeh, E., & Piché, M. (2022). Back Mechanical Sensitivity Assessment in the Rat for Mechanistic Investigation of Chronic Back Pain. J Vis Exp(186). https://doi.org/10.3791/63667

Northon, S., Deldar, Z., & Piché, M. (2022). Effects of spatial attention and limb position on the cortical interaction of bilateral noxious inputs. Psychophysiology, 59(2), e13966. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13966

Tokunaga, R., Takahashi, Y., Touj, S., Hotta, H., Leblond, H., Kato, F., & Piché, M. (2022). Attenuation of widespread hypersensitivity to noxious mechanical stimuli by inhibition of GABAergic neurons of the right amygdala in a rat model of chronic back pain. Eur J Pain, 26(4), 911–928. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1921

Wagenaar-Tison, A., Deldar, Z., Northon, S., Brisson, B., Blanchette, I., & Piché, M. (2022). Disruption of working memory and contralateral delay activity by nociceptive stimuli is modulated by task demands. Pain, 163(7), 1335–1345. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002517

Watanabe, N., & Piché, M. (2022). Editorial: Mechanisms and Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Pain Management. Front Pain Res (Lausanne), 3, 863751. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2022.863751

Deldar, Z., Blanchette, I., & Piché, M. (2021). Reduction of Pain and Spinal Nociceptive Transmission by Working Memory is Load Dependant. J Pain, 22(7), 797–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.02.001

Desmarteaux, C., Streff, A., Chen, J. I., Houzé, B., Piché, M., & Rainville, P. (2021). Brain Responses to Hypnotic Verbal Suggestions Predict Pain Modulation. Front Pain Res (Lausanne), 2, 757384. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2021.757384

Gevers-Montoro, C., Provencher, B., Descarreaux, M., Ortega de Mues, A., & Piché, M. (2021a). Neurophysiological mechanisms of chiropractic spinal manipulation for spine pain. Eur J Pain, 25(7), 1429–1448. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1773

Gevers-Montoro, C., Provencher, B., Descarreaux, M., Ortega de Mues, A., & Piché, M. (2021b). Clinical Effectiveness and Efficacy of Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Spine Pain. Front Pain Res (Lausanne), 2, 765921. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2021.765921

Gevers-Montoro, C., Provencher, B., Northon, S., Stedile-Lovatel, J. P., Ortega de Mues, A., & Piché, M. (2021). Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation Prevents Secondary Hyperalgesia Induced by Topical Capsaicin in Healthy Individuals. Front Pain Res (Lausanne), 2, 702429. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2021.702429

Houzé, B., Streff, A., Piché, M., & Rainville, P. (2021). Spinal and supraspinal modulation of pain responses by hypnosis, suggestions, and distraction. Am J Clin Hypn, 63(4), 329–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2020.1863184

Jeffrey-Gauthier, R., Bouyer, J., Piché, M., Côté, M. P., & Leblond, H. (2021). Locomotor deficits induced by lumbar muscle inflammation involve spinal microglia and are independent of KCC2 expression in a mouse model of complete spinal transection. Exp Neurol, 338, 113592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113592

Northon, S., Deldar, Z., & Piché, M. (2021a). Cortical interaction of bilateral inputs is similar for noxious and innocuous stimuli but leads to different perceptual effects. Exp Brain Res, 239(9), 2803–2819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06175-9

Northon, S., Deldar, Z., & Piché, M. (2021b). Spinal and Cerebral Integration of Noxious Inputs in Left-handed Individuals. Brain Topogr, 34(5), 568–586. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-021-00864-y

Paquette, T., Piché, M., & Leblond, H. (2021). Contribution of astrocytes to neurovascular coupling in the spinal cord of the rat. J Physiol Sci, 71(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-021-00800-6

Provencher, B., Northon, S., Gevers Montoro, C., O'Shaughnessy, J., & Piché, M. (2021). Effects of chiropractic spinal manipulation on laser-evoked pain and brain activity. J Physiol Sci, 71(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-021-00804-2

Provencher, B., Northon, S., & Piché, M. (2021). Segmental Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation Does not Reduce Pain Amplification and the Associated Pain-Related Brain Activity in a Capsaicin-Heat Pain Model. Front Pain Res (Lausanne), 2, 733727. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2021.733727

Tokunaga, R., Paquette, T., Tsurugizawa, T., Leblond, H., & Piché, M. (2021). Fasting prevents medetomidine-induced hyperglycaemia and alterations of neurovascular coupling in the somatosensory cortex of the rat during noxious stimulation. Eur J Neurosci, 54(3), 4906–4919. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.15350

Touj, S., Gallino, D., Chakravarty, M. M., Bronchti, G., & Piché, M. (2021). Structural brain plasticity induced by early blindness. Eur J Neurosci, 53(3), 778–795. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.15028

Touj, S., Paquette, T., Bronchti, G., & Piché, M. (2021). Early and late visual deprivation induce hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal noxious stimuli in the ZRDBA mouse. Eur J Pain, 25(10), 2257–2265. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1839

Rustamov, N., Wagenaar-Tison, A., Doyer, E., & Piché, M. (2020). Electrophysiological investigation of the contribution of attention to altered pain inhibition processes in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. J Physiol Sci, 70(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-020-00774-x

Silvestrini, N., Chen, J. I., Piché, M., Roy, M., Vachon-Presseau, E., Woo, C. W., Wager, T. D., & Rainville, P. (2020). Distinct fMRI patterns colocalized in the cingulate cortex underlie the after-effects of cognitive control on pain. Neuroimage, 217, 116898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116898

Touj, S., Cloutier, S., Jemâa, A., Piché, M., Bronchti, G., & Al Aïn, S. (2020). Better Olfactory Performance and Larger Olfactory Bulbs in a Mouse Model of Congenital Blindness. Chem Senses, 45(7), 523–531. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjaa052

Prix et distinctions

Équipe 

Post-Doctorants

Étudiants(es) au doctorat

  • Benjamin Provencher
  • Erfan Ghalibaf
  • Parham Hosseinchi
  • Golnoosh Kamyab
  • Hatef Khosravi
  • Takatoshi Satake
  • Gabriel Parent (co-direction)
  • Hamed Dehghani (co-direction)

Étudiants(es) à la maîtrise

  • Mylène deschênes
  • Dasha Ortmann
  • Celina D'Avila Felipe
  • Anne-Sophie Marion
  • Meriem Sekkouti

ALUMNI

  • Nabi Rustamov (post-doctorant)
  • Carlos Gevers Montoro (doctorant)
  • Imene Fahmi (maîtrise)
  • Benjamin Provencher (maîtrise)

Pour nous joindre

Département d'anatomie
Pavillon : Léon-Provancher
Local : 3501
Téléphone : 819 376-5011 poste 3584
Télécopieur : 819 376-5039
Site web : www.uqtr.ca/anatomie
Courriel : secretariat.anatomie@uqtr.ca 

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