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pain

This shows a brain surrounded by chains.

·August 22, 2025·5 min read

New Drug Aims to Block Pain Without Addiction Risks

Chronic pain affects millions, but opioid medications bring high risks of dependence and side effects. Researchers have now pinpointed specific neurons in the amygdala that make pain feel unpleasant, opening the door to drugs that ease suffering without shutting down normal sensation.

This shows a brain with a man undergoing a medical procedure below it.

Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·July 28, 2025·3 min read

What You Expect Shapes How Much Pain You Feel

A new brain imaging study reveals that how people expect pain relief—through visual cues or treatment explanations—can significantly influence how much pain they actually feel. External cues, like symbols signaling less pain, consistently reduced pain perception and altered brain regions tied to pain processing. In contrast, expectations based on treatment information were less consistent and instead activated brain areas involved in evaluation and meaning.

Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·July 25, 2025·5 min read

Old Injuries Rewire the Brain to Feel Fear and Pain Forever

A new study reveals that even after healing, injuries can leave behind a hypersensitive nervous system that overreacts to future stress. Mice previously injured showed intense fear and renewed pain when exposed to a predator scent, despite no new harm.

This shows a woman holding her head in pain.

Featured Neuroscience Pain

·July 20, 2025·5 min read

How Stress Sounds Amplify Pain and Inflammation

Pain isn’t just physical—it can be socially and emotionally transmitted. New research shows that ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by mice in pain trigger hyperalgesia in nearby mice, even without direct injury.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·July 11, 2025·5 min read

Common Pain Medication Linked to Cognitive Decline Risk

A large U.S. medical records study has found that adults prescribed gabapentin six or more times for chronic low back pain face significantly higher risks of dementia (29%) and mild cognitive impairment (85%) within 10 years. The risks were especially pronounced in younger adults aged 35–64, where rates of cognitive decline more than doubled or tripled compared to those not on the drug.

Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·July 10, 2025·6 min read

Brain Pathway Reveals How Pain Feels Emotionally

Pain is more than a physical signal — it also carries emotional weight that shapes our response and memory of discomfort. A new study identifies a group of neurons in the thalamus that directly links pain signals to the brain’s emotional center.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 28, 2025·3 min read

Regular Sex May Ease Painful Menopause Symptoms

A new study reveals that women who engage in regular sexual activity experience fewer symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), such as vaginal dryness, irritation, and pain. In a survey of over 900 women aged 40 to 79, researchers found that while sexual desire and lubrication declined with age, orgasm and satisfaction remained stable.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·June 20, 2025·4 min read

Chronic Pain Linked to Neuron Overactivity in the Brainstem

A new study reveals that neurons in the brainstem respond very differently to acute versus chronic pain, potentially explaining why some pain persists long after injury. In acute pain, neurons in the medullary dorsal horn reduce their activity through a natural “braking” system involving A-type potassium currents, helping limit pain signals.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·June 19, 2025·5 min read

Pain Perception in Babies Develops in Stages After Birth

A new study shows that the networks responsible for processing pain in infants develop gradually, with emotional and cognitive pain responses maturing only after birth. Researchers scanned the brains of 372 infants, primarily born prematurely, to track how three brain subsystems related to pain perception matured over time.

This shows a man holding his head in pain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 19, 2025·6 min read

How Sleep Deprivation Amplifies Pain in Migraine

New research reveals that sleep deprivation alters how the brain processes pain in people with migraines. Using EEG and pain stimulation, scientists found that migraine sufferers’ brains respond differently after poor sleep, showing reduced ability to suppress pain signals.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·June 10, 2025·3 min read

How Acetaminophen Silences Pain Before It Reaches the Brain

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) doesn’t just work in the brain—it also shuts off pain at its source in the peripheral nerves. The study found that after taking paracetamol, the body produces a compound called AM404 directly in pain-sensing nerve endings.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·May 24, 2025·4 min read

Placebo Triggers Brain’s Opioid System to Relieve Pain

Researchers have successfully induced the placebo effect in rats, uncovering the neural mechanisms behind how belief in pain relief can reduce the perception of pain. Using conditioning, rats learned to associate injections with pain relief, and later exhibited reduced pain responses even when injected with saline.

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pain

New Drug Aims to Block Pain Without Addiction Risks

What You Expect Shapes How Much Pain You Feel

Old Injuries Rewire the Brain to Feel Fear and Pain Forever

How Stress Sounds Amplify Pain and Inflammation

Common Pain Medication Linked to Cognitive Decline Risk

Brain Pathway Reveals How Pain Feels Emotionally

Regular Sex May Ease Painful Menopause Symptoms

Chronic Pain Linked to Neuron Overactivity in the Brainstem

Pain Perception in Babies Develops in Stages After Birth

How Sleep Deprivation Amplifies Pain in Migraine

How Acetaminophen Silences Pain Before It Reaches the Brain

Placebo Triggers Brain’s Opioid System to Relieve Pain

Why We Repeat Decisions That No Longer Make Sense

New Tech Tracks Living Brain Activity Noninvasively

Why You Can’t Say No to Snacks Even When Full

Using Imagination to Disrupt Negative Memory Traces

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