And how do scientists go about answering that question?

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.

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research on the ion channels involved in perceiving heat, cold, pain, and touch.

Researchers identify changes to a pain receptor and to an ion channel that appear to enable the rodents to colonize otherwise inhospitable burrows.

For nearly 30 years, the UC San Francisco researcher has delved into unexplored corners of the nervous system.