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Human hand with white glove holding a white mouse in a green background.
Study Traces a Neural Circuit Behind Green Light–Mediated Pain Relief
A mouse study concludes color-detecting cones in the eye and a subset of neurons in the brain’s thalamus are why green light exposure has an analgesic effect.
Study Traces a Neural Circuit Behind Green Light–Mediated Pain Relief
Study Traces a Neural Circuit Behind Green Light–Mediated Pain Relief

A mouse study concludes color-detecting cones in the eye and a subset of neurons in the brain’s thalamus are why green light exposure has an analgesic effect.

A mouse study concludes color-detecting cones in the eye and a subset of neurons in the brain’s thalamus are why green light exposure has an analgesic effect.

chronic pain, neuroscience

Illustration of peach-colored microglia among light blue neurons. Both cell types are illustrated with multiple jagged extensions coming out of a spherical cell body.
Mouse Immune Cells Destroy Nerves’ Coating, Causing Chronic Pain
Patience Asanga | Jun 9, 2022 | 3 min read

A study suggests a way in which acute nerve injury could trigger an autoimmune response that leads to continuing pain in mice.

Grey and white stones on a wooden plank
Eight Weeks of Meditation Doesn’t Change the Brain, Study Finds
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 20, 2022 | 4 min read
Study finds that, contrary to what other research has found, a popular meditation course does not appear to alter brain structure.
Giannina Descalzi
Giannina Descalzi Studies the Factors Underlying Chronic Pain
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 16, 2022 | 3 min read
The University of Guelph neuroscientist is scoping out the brain regions and genes that change as a consequence of pain that lasts for months or even years.
Rounded red and green fluorescent cells are visible on a light and dark gray background
Neurons Firing Together Generate Spontaneous Pain
Abby Olena, PhD | Nov 10, 2021 | 4 min read
Abnormal sympathetic neuron growth leads to simultaneous activation of clusters of sensory neurons, causing the difficult-to-treat sensation.
morphine drip
Morphine Tolerance Pathway Identified in Mice
David Adam | Sep 20, 2021 | 3 min read
Prolonged exposure to morphine triggers cells in the spine to release signaling molecules that increase pain sensitivity and dull the relief of the drug. Blocking this activity could improve pain management.
two doctors looking at a medical monitor showing electrodes being inserted near a person's spinal cord
Low Frequency Electric Stimulation Can Treat Back Pain: Study
Emma Yasinski | Sep 2, 2021 | 3 min read
Patients in a small trial said their chronic pain improved an average of 90 percent over the course of 15 days, but returned shortly after the electrical stimulation sessions ended.
schwann cells
Special Schwann Cells in Mice Play Unsung Role in Pain
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 16, 2019 | 2 min read
The glia seem to make up part of a newly described sensory organ, the discoverers suggest.
Men React to Repeated Painful Experiences Differently than Women Do
Diana Kwon | Jan 14, 2019 | 4 min read
Men’s pain tolerance decreases when exposed to a setting where they’ve previously had a painful experience.
Synthetic Botox Treats Chronic Pain in Mice
Abby Olena, PhD | Jul 18, 2018 | 3 min read
Researchers silence pain neurons in the mouse spinal cord with injections of botulinum toxins modified to bind to the neurons’ receptors.
Glial Ties to Persistent Pain
Mark R. Hutchinson | Jan 1, 2018 | 10 min read
Immune-like cells in the central nervous system are now recognized as key participants in the creation and maintenance of persistent pain.
Targeting Sodium Channels for Pain Relief
Catherine Offord | Jan 1, 2018 | 10+ min read
The race to develop analgesic drugs that inhibit sodium channel NaV1.7 is revealing a complex sensory role for the protein.
Contributors
Jef Akst and Katarina Zimmer | Jan 1, 2018 | 3 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the January 2018 issue of The Scientist.
Infographic: Two Pain Paths Diverge in the Body
Mark R. Hutchinson | Dec 31, 2017 | 2 min read
The acute pain that results from injury or disease is very different from chronic pain.
Infographic: A Painful Pathway
Catherine Offord | Dec 31, 2017 | 2 min read
Since the mid-2000s, the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7 has emerged as a promising target for a new class of analgesics.
Oxford University to Study Marijuana
Kerry Grens | Mar 20, 2017 | 1 min read
Academics partner with a biotech firm to investigate cannabinoids and develop potential therapeutics.
No Pain, Big Gain
Kate Yandell | May 22, 2014 | 3 min read
Eliminating a pain receptor makes mice live longer and keeps their metabolisms young.
From Toxins to Therapeutics
Dan Cossins | Mar 19, 2013 | 5 min read
Researchers are finding new drugs for chronic pain and autoimmune diseases by modifying animal venom-derived molecules that target the nervous and immune systems.
Pain-Killing Transplants
Ed Yong | May 23, 2012 | 3 min read
Neurons injected into mice help treat chronic pain at its roots, rather than simply alleviating its symptoms.
Resolving Chronic Pain
Claudia Sommer and Frank Birklein | Jan 1, 2012 | 10+ min read
The body’s own mechanism for dispersing the inflammatory reaction might lead to new treatments for chronic pain.
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