Funding News - Biobehavioral Pain Research

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) invites grant applications for biobehavioral pain research. This announcement is made together with 9 other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).*

Pain is a critical national health problem and has a profound effect on the quality of life. In addition to possible harmful effects on immune function, pain can cause disruptions in sleep, eating, mobility, and overall function. Scientists are making progress in understanding the neuroanatomical pathways, and the neurophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms involved in pain, however, understanding the subjective pain experience in individuals presents unique scientific challenges.

Potential areas of research interest include studies to: explore the neural basis of pain perception; examine the neuroendocrine and immunological correlates of pain; investigate relationships between pharmacological and behavioral interventions, including both conventional and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies to prevent pain; use neuroimaging to study structural and functional correlates of pain perception; explore the sensory, cognitive, and affective aspects of acute and chronic pain across the lifespan; examine addiction risk in patients taking controlled drugs for pain, the role of tolerance, addiction, and dependence in the consumption of these drugs, and implications of long-term use in noncancer disease states; develop and refine biobehavioral techniques for optimizing adherence to pain management; identify and consider barriers to adherence to pain management; establish dose-response curves for biobehavioral interventions; study cognitive factors in the experience of pain, disability, and pain behaviors across disorders, including such factors as self-efficacy, perceived control, and pain beliefs; and test culturally sensitive approaches to pain assessment and management, including appropriate methods for translation of the instruments into other languages and validation among individuals who speak languages other than English.

For more information, potential applicants should contact Dr. Linda Porter, Program Director, Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster, NINDS, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2113, Bethesda, MD 20892; telephone: 301-496-9964; fax: 301-402-2060; e-mail: lp216a@nih.gov.

*For a full list of supporting NIH components and a more detailed description of this program announcement, please visit the NIH web site at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-152.html.