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Pain

Pain Neuroscience news articles cover science research about pain receptors, nociceptors, nociception, sensory neurons, somatosensory cortex, chronic pain, acute pain, nocioceptors, musculoskeletal pain, therapies, phantom limb pain and other pain research.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·April 29, 2025·6 min read

Negative Expectations Worsen Pain More Than Positive Ones Ease It

New research shows that negative expectations, known as nocebo effects, exert a stronger and longer-lasting impact on pain perception than positive expectations, or placebo effects. In a two-session study, participants consistently reported more intense pain when they expected worse outcomes, while the benefits of expecting relief were weaker.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·April 23, 2025·4 min read

Clearing Zombie Cells Eases Back Pain

A new preclinical study has found that two drugs—o-Vanillin and RG-7112—can clear “zombie cells” from spinal discs, potentially treating the root cause of chronic low back pain. These senescent cells accumulate with age or injury and cause inflammation, pain, and tissue damage.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·April 13, 2025·10 min read

Lab-Grown Nerve Circuit Recreates Human Pain Pathway

Researchers have recreated the human ascending sensory pathway in a lab dish, using organoids that model the key brain and spinal cord regions responsible for transmitting pain. This breakthrough allows scientists to observe how pain signals travel from peripheral neurons to the brain for the first time outside the body.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·April 13, 2025·6 min read

Why You Sometimes Don’t Feel Pain Until It’s Too Late

New research highlights how the brain’s own chemistry can suppress pain, explaining why severely injured individuals, like WWII soldiers, sometimes feel little discomfort. The key lies in a brain region called the periaqueductal grey (PAG), which dampens pain signals before they reach conscious awareness.

Featured Neurology Pain

·April 10, 2025·5 min read

Oral Health Tied to Migraines and Fibromyalgia Pain in Women

Poor oral health is significantly linked to increased migraine, abdominal, and musculoskeletal pain in women, particularly those with fibromyalgia. Researchers identified specific oral microbes associated with higher pain scores, highlighting a potential gut-brain-oral microbiome connection.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·April 4, 2025·5 min read

Female Hormones Trigger Pain Relief via Immune Cells

Scientists have discovered that female hormones like estrogen and progesterone can trigger immune cells near the spinal cord to release natural opioids, easing pain before it reaches the brain. These immune cells, known as T regulatory cells (T-regs), are located in the meninges and produce the painkilling molecule enkephalin in response to hormonal signals.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·March 19, 2025·5 min read

Rubber Hand Illusion Reduces Pain Perception

A new study shows that the rubber hand illusion can reduce the intensity of pain caused by heat. Researchers found that when participants viewed a rubber hand being illuminated while their hidden hand received a heat stimulus, they reported feeling less pain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·March 15, 2025·5 min read

Nature’s Painkiller: How Virtual Scenes Ease Pain in the Brain

Viewing natural scenes can significantly reduce how people perceive pain, a new neuroimaging study has found. Researchers discovered that participants reported less pain and exhibited altered brain activity associated with pain perception while looking at virtual nature, compared to urban or office environments.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·March 14, 2025·6 min read

Cannabis Terpenes Offer New Hope for Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia

New research has identified cannabis-derived terpenes—compounds that give plants their distinctive aroma—as effective treatments for fibromyalgia and post-surgical pain. In preclinical mouse models, terpenes such as geraniol and linalool significantly reduced chronic pain, providing promising alternatives to opioid medications and avoiding THC's psychoactive side effects.

This shows a brain and neurons representing pain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·March 5, 2025·4 min read

Brain Distinguishes Pain and Itch Using Separate Neural Circuits

A new study reveals that pain and itch are processed by distinct neural circuits in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Researchers identified two types of neurons—one responding to both stimuli and another selectively activated by either pain or itch.

Featured Neuroscience Pain

·February 6, 2025·6 min read

How CBD Modulates THC’s Impact on the Brain

Researchers have identified how CBD interacts with cannabinoid receptors to mitigate the negative effects of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. Unlike THC, which fully activates the receptor and causes side effects like memory loss and addiction, CBD acts as a modulator, fine-tuning receptor activity.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·January 13, 2025·3 min read

Brain Oscillations Decode Pain Intensity

Parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) have been identified as key players in encoding pain intensity and driving gamma oscillations, according to a study. Cross-species experiments confirmed that gamma oscillations in S1 selectively reflect pain levels in humans and are linked to PV interneuron activity in rodents. Optogenetic manipulation of these interneurons demonstrated their ability to modulate pain-related behaviors, solidifying their role in pain processing.

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Pain

Negative Expectations Worsen Pain More Than Positive Ones Ease It

Clearing Zombie Cells Eases Back Pain

Lab-Grown Nerve Circuit Recreates Human Pain Pathway

Why You Sometimes Don’t Feel Pain Until It’s Too Late

Oral Health Tied to Migraines and Fibromyalgia Pain in Women

Female Hormones Trigger Pain Relief via Immune Cells

Rubber Hand Illusion Reduces Pain Perception

Nature’s Painkiller: How Virtual Scenes Ease Pain in the Brain

Cannabis Terpenes Offer New Hope for Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia

Brain Distinguishes Pain and Itch Using Separate Neural Circuits

How CBD Modulates THC’s Impact on the Brain

Brain Oscillations Decode Pain Intensity

Two Key Signals Shape Brain Structure Early, Varying by Person

Setting and Mindset Shape Ayahuasca’s Mental Health Effects

Why Alcohol Hits Women Harder

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