New brain circuit discovery offers hope for chronic pain treatment

A new map of a brain circuit specific to chronic pain suggests a promising route to treatment for the roughly 60 million Americans living with persistent pain, according to a study published in Nature. The study showed that silencing the specific cells that drive this circuit eased chronic pain while preserving acute pain responses-in other words, the body’s … Read more

UCF researcher explores insulin signaling as new target for diabetic neuropathy

Neuropathy – chronic pain, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet – is a challenging fact of life for many patients with Type 1 diabetes. Thanks to a new National Institutes of Health grant, a University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine scientist is investigating a new approach to treat neuropathy without relying on … Read more

Chronic back pain linked to heightened sound sensitivity in the brain

People with chronic back pain process everyday sounds differently, and more intensely, than people without pain, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz. Published today in Annals of Neurology, the study is one of the first to tie this sound hypersensitivity to specific, measurable changes in the brain, indicating that chronic back … Read more

Women Experience Longer Lasting Pain Than Men and Scientists Think They Finally Know the Reason Why

Credit: Wikimedia Commons In the weeks after an accident or surgery, recovery does not look the same for everyone. Many studies have found that women, on average, experience pain that lasts longer than men’s. Scientists have debated the reasons for years. A new study suggests part of the answer lies in the immune system, where … Read more

NIH’s continued investment fuels TMJ pain research

Chronic pain is one of the most common health conditions worldwide. Back pain is the most frequently reported type, followed closely by head and face pain linked to the jaw joint, in the form of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. While not life-threatening like cancer or infectious disease, chronic pain can dramatically diminish quality of life … Read more

Electroacupuncture: Anxiety & Pain Relief – Neural Effects

Neuropathic pain, caused by injury or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, is a major clinical… The post Electroacupuncture: Anxiety & Pain Relief – Neural Effects appeared first on Archynetys. Source link

Electroacupuncture relieves pain-induced anxiety through prefrontal neural circuits

Neuropathic pain, caused by injury or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, is a major clinical challenge and often evolves into a chronic condition. Importantly, up to 80% of patients with long-term pain also experience anxiety or depression. This creates a vicious cycle that not only worsens prognosis and quality of life but also poses … Read more

Smartwatch data may help detect opioid misuse risk

Opioid overdoses continue to take a devastating toll across the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023, the nation recorded roughly 105,000 drug overdose deaths overall, with nearly 80,000 deaths involving opioids. Worldwide, opioids are also responsible for the majority of drug-related deaths. A University of California … Read more

Study identifies genetic fingerprint of neuropathic pain neurons

Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas and their international colleagues have determined the molecular signature of human sleeping – or silent – nociceptors: sensory neurons that are unresponsive to touch or pressure yet are key culprits in neuropathic pain. The findings suggest a potential pathway for finding drug targets to relieve chronic pain, … Read more

Molecular signature of sleeping nociceptors offers new pain targets

Researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Institute of Neurophysiology at Uniklinik RWTH Aachen in Germany have deciphered the molecular signature of so-called sleeping nociceptors-a type of pain-sensing nerve cell that normally remains quiet and does not respond to touch or pressure, but can become overactive and drive chronic pain. … Read more