pain

For a long time, scientists thought that immune cells produced in our bone marrow flocked...

A new study shows that a tailored, low-intensity exercise program can provide lasting relief for people with fibromyalgia. Brain scans suggest these improvements are linked to metabolic changes in the cerebellum, a region involved in pain processing.

Scientists have discovered that a protein best known for helping some cancers grow may also play a major role in chronic nerve pain. The finding could eventually lead to a new use for cancer medicines that already target this protein. Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center focused on a protein called […] The post Cancer Drug May Open a New Way to Treat Nerve Pain appeare…

An unusual psychedelic found in Salvia divinorum shows promise for treating pain, addiction, and stroke in animal models. However, anxiety-inducing side effects and a fleeting duration mean modified versions may be needed for human therapies.

BackgroundThe thalamus is one of the structures that receives projections from multiple ascending pain pathways. Although the transmission of orofacial and somatic pain involves different nuclear clusters and nerve pathways, the thalamic neuroimmune alterations across these different pain modalities remain poorly understood. This work aimed to investigate alterations in the neuroimmune mechanisms…

Cannabis-based therapies are widely used for chronic pain, yet their mechanisms and therapeutic windows remain incompletely defined. This review synthesizes preclinical and clinical evidence on how dose, route of administration, treatment duration, and chemical composition shape analgesic efficacy and adverse-effect liability for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and select cannab…

Published on July 30, 2026 3:21 PM GMT Humans are capable of experiencing very intense agony. But how widespread is this capacity in the animal kingdom? How many animals can experience intense pain? In this essay, I will argue, from both theoretical and experimental considerations, that capacity for feeling intense agony might be quite widespread. It may be that even the simplest creatures capabl…

Interest in the vagus nerve has recently surged, particularly with the advent of non-invasive transcutaneous VNS (tVNS), which has broadened access and facilitated research across a range of conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), migraine, chronic pain, and inflammatory disorders. tVNS primarily utilizes two pathways: the auricular branch (taVNS) and the cervical …

Nature Communications, Published online: 14 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-75423-9 The authors find that netrin-1 secreted by endplate osteoclasts induces a cascade of netrin1/DCC downstream signaling in the dorsal horn synapses to generate nociplasticity for chronic low back pain in male mice.

Barcelona, Spain: Acupuncture to the ear may help to lessen pain from migraines and their impact on daily life, according to new research presented today (Friday) at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026 [1].   A randomised clinical trial of the treatment, called auriculotherapy, found that migraines were less painful immediately after the treatment and 30 days later…

A large review of clinical trials published this week in the journal PAIN suggests that melatonin may offer meaningful relief for patients suffering from chronic musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. The post Common Sleep Supplement May Also Ease Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, Study Suggests appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News .

Neuropathic pain is difficult to treat due to the involvement of multiple signaling pathways, including increased expression of sodium channels, decreased expression of potassium channels, heightened neuronal excitability from the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), nerve damage leading to changes in neurotrophic factor levels, and reduced opioid efficacy. As a result, the trea…

Pain is a complex sensory and affective experience regulated by distributed neural circuits that integrate internal physiological states with external stimuli. Orexinergic neurons, a widely projecting neuronal population within the lateral hypothalamus (LH), play a central role in this process. This review synthesizes current evidence on the involvement of LH orexinergic neurons in nociceptive re…

BackgroundThoracolumbar compression fractures frequently coexist with depression, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of pain and psychological distress. Conventional nursing care offers limited psychological support for this comorbid population.MethodsThis quasi-experimental, descriptive study with a non-concurrent historical control enrolled 60 patients with comorbid depression and thoracolumbar …

A small point on the ear could hold big answers for cancer patients in pain. With a new pilot grant, researcher Hongyu Wang, MD, PhD, is digging into the biology behind auricular point acupressure to better understand how it eases the debilitating effects of chemotherapy.

Over half of the people carrying HIV experience chronic pain at some point, which is difficult to treat. In a new JNeurosci paper, Hui-Lin Pan, from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues used mice to explore how HIV leads to chronic pain.

ObjectiveThe comorbidity of pain and depression is prevalent, adding difficulty to the treatment of depression. This systematic review with meta-analysis aims to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating depression-associated chronic pain (DACP).MethodsA comprehensive search was conducted across four international databases, namely PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochra…

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is the first in the world to eliminate months of pain after surgical repair for microtia – a rare condition where a child is born with underdeveloped or missing outer ear.