Researchers silence pain neurons in the mouse spinal cord with injections of botulinum toxins modified to bind to the neurons’ receptors.

Immune-like cells in the central nervous system are now recognized as key participants in the creation and maintenance of persistent pain.

The race to develop analgesic drugs that inhibit sodium channel Na_V1.7 is revealing a complex sensory role for the protein.

Life is filled with pleasure and pain. Science and society are struggling mightily with both.

Meet some of the people featured in the January 2018 issue of The Scientist.

The acute pain that results from injury or disease is very different from chronic pain.

Since the mid-2000s, the voltage-gated sodium channel Na_V1.7 has emerged as a promising target for a new class of analgesics.

Dave Thomas, a researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, talks about the harsh truths and frustrating complexity of pain and analgesia.

With a clinical trial underway to restore vision optogenetically, researchers also see promise in using the technique to treat deafness, pain, and other conditions.

Academics partner with a biotech firm to investigate cannabinoids and develop potential therapeutics.