Product Details
MODULE 1: Pathophysiology of Pain and Neurobiology of Addiction Overview

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- Credit(s): 0.9 Contact Hour(s) of CE
- Program Number: 25117580
- Original Program Date: December 4, 2025
- Duration: 43 minutes
- Access: Available until February 29, 2028
OnDemand
- Non-Member Price
- $36.00
- Member Price
  AANP Membership Benefit
- $18.00

Description

Activity Duration

Content Expires:

February 29, 2028 (11:55 p.m. CT)
CE for this activity will not be available after this date.

This activity includes closed captioning.

Overview

This module provides an overview of pain physiology—including transduction, transmission, modulation, and perception—and explains key concepts such as allodynia, hyperalgesia, and referred pain. It also explores the neurobiology of addiction, the brain’s reward and stress systems, shared neural pathways between pain and substance use disorders, and factors that influence vulnerability. Learners gain foundational clinical insight into how chronic pain and addiction intersect.

Objectives

Discuss pathophysiology of pain.
Review the shared neurobiological mechanisms of addiction/DSM 5 criteria.
Describe the complexities of pain management with comorbid substance use disorder.

Speaker
Theresa Mallick-Searle, MS, PMGT-BC, ANP-BC, FAANP

Disclosure
This program was planned in accordance with AANP CE Standards and Policies.

The speaker has the following disclosures:

Speakers’ Bureau:
- Pfizer & AbbVie (Migraine)
- Averitas Pharmaceuticals (PHN, DPN)

All Planners involved in this activity have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Disclaimer
Individuals who have contributed to the CE Center were carefully selected for their knowledge and experience in the subject area under review. This presentation is informational only and may contain opinions of the authors from their personal experience that do not necessarily express the opinions of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. Clinical practice is a constantly changing process and new information becomes available every day. Neither AANP nor the contributing individuals can warrant that the material will continue to be accurate, nor do they warrant that the material is completely free of errors upon publication. Attendees and participants should appraise the information presented critically and are encouraged to consult appropriate resources for any product or device mentioned in this program.

CE Credit Instructions

Read this activity description, including objectives and disclosures.
Complete the educational content:
- Video Presentations: Click the Play button to watch the activity presentation. Full participation credit for the activity will be received once the entire video has been watched.
- Click on the Additional Resources button to review all additional materials provided (handouts, post-test reviews, any other downloadable resources).
After completing all content, click on the blue Next Steps button:
- Submit the post-test. (No passing score required.)
- Submit the activity evaluation.
- Click on the Get Certificate button.
  - A copy of your certificate of completion will display on the screen for you to print or save. A copy of the certificate will also be emailed to you.
  - A copy of the certificate and a record of your CE/Rx earned will be automatically added to your AANP CE Tracker.

Additional Information
For questions or more information concerning this online CE activity, please visit the AANP Help Center to find answers to frequently asked questions and request assistance.

Credits

0.9 Contact Hour(s) of CE

Faculty

Theresa Mallick-Searle, MS, PMGT-BC, ANP-BC, FAANPBio

Theresa Mallick-Searle, MS, PMGT-BC, ANP-BC, FAANP Bio

Theresa is an Adult Nurse Practitioner with over 29 years’ experience at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto, California. She received her graduate degree from University of California, San Francisco. Her current clinical practice within the Division of Pain Medicine focuses primarily on evaluation and treatment of individuals suffering from acute and chronic pain conditions in both the acute care and outpatient settings. Theresa is a nationally recognized clinician, speaker, author, and thought leader in the field of pain management.

Materials

	Post Test Review (2) (156 KB)
	Handout - Presentation Slides (23) (2 MB)

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