Study Suggests Improved Treatments for Neuropathic PainThursday, Jun 26, 2008
Two chemicals associated with neurodegeneration and inflammation play important and distinct roles in development of neuropathic
pain, a new study shows. The findings may lead to new treatments that can stop neuropathic pain from developing and alleviate
it after it begins.
Scientists Zero in on the Cellular Machinery that Enables Neurons to FireWednesday, Nov 14, 2007
If you ever had a set of Micronauts – toy robots with removable body parts – you probably had fun swapping their heads, imagining
how it would affect their behavior. Scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health have been performing similar
experiments on ion channels – pores in our nerve cells – to sort out the channels' key functional parts.
Treatment Blocks Pain Without Disrupting Other FunctionsWednesday, Oct 3, 2007
A combination of two drugs can selectively block pain-sensing neurons in rats without impairing movement or other sensations
such as touch, according to a new study by National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported investigators. The finding suggests
an improved way to treat pain from childbirth and surgical procedures. It may also lead to new treatments to help the millions
of Americans who suffer from chronic pain.
Gene Variation Affects Pain Sensitivity and Risk of Chronic Pain: Finding May Lead to New TreatmentsSunday, Oct 22, 2006
A new NIH-funded study shows that a specific gene variant in humans affects both sensitivity to short-term (acute) pain in
healthy volunteers and the risk of developing chronic pain after one kind of back surgery. Blocking increased activity of
this gene after nerve injury or inflammation in animals prevented development of chronic pain.
Study Finds Loss of Small Nerve Fibers in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)Friday, May 19, 2006
A new study shows that a reduction in small-diameter nerve fibers is evident in the devastating chronic pain syndrome known
as complex regional pain syndrome-type I (CRPS-I), which was formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy. This finding
of nerve damage could provide a biomarker, or a specific physical trait, that clinicians could use in the future to help diagnose
and measure the natural history of CRPS.
Study Finds Loss of Small Nerve Fibers in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)Friday, May 19, 2006
A new study shows that a reduction in small-diameter nerve fibers is evident in the devastating chronic pain syndrome known
as complex regional pain syndrome-type I (CRPS-I), which was formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy. This finding
of nerve damage could provide a biomarker, or a specific physical trait, that clinicians could use in the future to help diagnose
and measure the natural history of CRPS.
Gene Variation Affects Pain Sensitivity and Risk of Chronic Pain: Finding May Lead to New TreatmentsSunday, Oct 22, 2006
A new NIH-funded study shows that a specific gene variant in humans affects both sensitivity to short-term (acute) pain in
healthy volunteers and the risk of developing chronic pain after one kind of back surgery. Blocking increased activity of
this gene after nerve injury or inflammation in animals prevented development of chronic pain.
Expectations of Pain: I Think, Therefore I AmWednesday, Feb 15, 2006
While the theory that “mind over matter” exists is an ancient belief, the scientific studies to support this idea have remained
elusive. A new study provides brain imaging evidence that positive thinking interacts with and shapes the sensory experience
of pain. This study suggests that decreasing the expectation of pain can reduce both the pain-related brain activity and
perception of pain intensity. This knowledge may lead to new and effective ways to manage chronic pain.
Expectations of Pain: I Think, Therefore I AmWednesday, Feb 15, 2006
While the theory that “mind over matter” exists is an ancient belief, the scientific studies to support this idea have remained
elusive. A new study provides brain imaging evidence that positive thinking interacts with and shapes the sensory experience
of pain. This study suggests that decreasing the expectation of pain can reduce both the pain-related brain activity and
perception of pain intensity. This knowledge may lead to new and effective ways to manage chronic pain.
Gene Therapy Relieves Neuropathic Pain in RatsTuesday, Jun 28, 2005
Using a weakened herpes virus to deliver a neurotransmitter-related gene to sensory neurons alleviates pain for up to 6 weeks
in rats with chronic pain caused by nerve damage, a new study shows. The findings may lead to the first effective treatment
for people affected by this type of "neuropathic" pain.
Amid Ongoing Controversy, Researchers Find Opiates Relieve Chronic Pain From Nervous System DamageMonday, May 12, 2003
A new study shows that opioid drugs taken orally could provide relief for some of the more than 2 million Americans suffering
with chronic pain resulting from damage to the nervous system.
Fact Sheet Study Links Chronic Pain to Signals in the BrainTuesday, Jan 7, 2003
For centuries, doctors have tried to find effective ways to treat chronic pain, a devastating neurological disorder that affects
almost 90 million Americans. A new study shows that two proteins in the brain trigger the neuronal changes that amplify and
sustain this type of pain. The finding may lead to new ways of treating chronic pain.
Fact Sheet New Target Identified for Chronic Pain TherapyThursday, Nov 18, 1999
Scientists funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) may soon be able to reduce sensitivity
to stimuli that are associated with chronic neuropathic and inflammatory pain by disabling certain nerve cells that send pain
signals to the brain.
Peptides Implicated in Body's Response to PainWednesday, Mar 25, 1998
Pain is an extremely disabling condition leading to an annual cost of $65 billion lost in work productivity and 4 billion
work days. It also accounts for 40 million visits per year to physicians for "new" pain and $3 billion in sales each year
of over-the-counter analgesics. Scientists studying animal models with support from the National Institutes of Health have
found that a chemical, called neurokinin A, may be responsible for the body's response to moderate-to-intense pain. This finding,
reported in the March 26, 1998, issue of Nature, may eventually lead to new treatments for pain.
Novel Treatment "Knocks Out" Persistent PainThursday, Oct 9, 1997
Investigators have isolated a tiny population of neurons, located in the spinal cord, that together form a major portion of
the pathway responsible for carrying persistent pain signals to the brain. When given injections of a lethal chemical cocktail,
the cells, whose sole function is communication of this type of pain, are killed off.
Amid Ongoing Controversy, Researchers Find Opiates Relieve Chronic Pain From Nervous System DamageMonday, May 12, 2003
A new study shows that opioid drugs taken orally could provide relief for some of the more than 2 million Americans suffering
with chronic pain resulting from damage to the nervous system.
Fact Sheet Study Links Chronic Pain to Signals in the BrainTuesday, Jan 7, 2003
For centuries, doctors have tried to find effective ways to treat chronic pain, a devastating neurological disorder that affects
almost 90 million Americans. A new study shows that two proteins in the brain trigger the neuronal changes that amplify and
sustain this type of pain. The finding may lead to new ways of treating chronic pain.
Fact Sheet New Target Identified for Chronic Pain TherapyThursday, Nov 18, 1999
Scientists funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) may soon be able to reduce sensitivity
to stimuli that are associated with chronic neuropathic and inflammatory pain by disabling certain nerve cells that send pain
signals to the brain.