research

A Bifunctional Opioid Is Analgesic—and Safe—in Nonhuman Primates

Dual nociceptin/mu opioid receptor agonist relieves acute pain without the potential for abuse, tolerance, or respiratory depression

by Matthew Soleiman on 19 Nov 2018

Comment

The search for a safer opioid has revealed a new candidate. A team led by Mei-Chuan Ko, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, US, and Nurulain Zaveri, Astraea Therapeutics,…

Drug Development

Research

A New Mechanism of Chemotherapy-Induced Painful Peripheral Neuropathy

Detrimental effects of the chemotherapeutic drug bortezomib reversed by interfering with sphingolipid metabolism in spinal cord astrocytes, according to a rodent study

by Kayt Sukel on 5 Nov 2018

Comment

Many chemotherapeutic drugs that kill cancer cells also damage the peripheral nervous system, resulting in chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)—a condition that can last for weeks, months, or even…

Drug Development

Research

Angiotensin Signaling Contributes to Neuropathic Pain via Peripheral Macrophages

New findings conflict with previous evidence of direct action on neurons

Stephani Sutherland on 22 Oct 2018

Comment

Angiotensin has been known for nearly 100 years as a hormone that controls blood pressure. But recently, the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) has emerged as a promising…

Drug Development

Research

Metformin Alleviates Cognitive Deficits From Neuropathic Pain in Mice

Significant differences observed between males and females

by Stephani Sutherland on 10 Oct 2018

Comment

Chronic pain affects the whole brain, causing cognitive deficits as well as sleep and mood disruptions. Imaging studies in people have shown that chronic pain causes functional and structural…

Drug Development

Research

Inflammatory Pain: Be It Resolved!

GPR37, a receptor expressed on macrophages, regulates phagocytosis and contributes to pain resolution

by Dara Bree on 8 Oct 2018

Comment

Pain and inflammation following tissue damage serve as powerful protective measures to promote rest and enable healing. While researchers have a good grasp of what causes pain and inflammation…

Research

A New Explanation for Itchy Eyes

Specialized nerve fibers innervate the conjunctiva of mice to regulate allergic itch

by Matthew Soleiman on 24 Sep 2018

Comment

When it comes to the eye, itch has its quirks. It’s usually felt in the conjunctiva, the membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the sclera (the white of…

Research

Doing a Flip From Aversion to Reward

Melanocortin 4 receptors in the striatum control whether mice assign positive or negative valence to harmful stimuli, including pain

by Nathan Fried on 10 Sep 2018

Comment

What happens in the brain to ensure that animals are motivated to avoid painful and other harmful stimuli? It’s an important question for the pain field, considering the emotional…

Research

Modified Botulinum Molecules Ease Pain in Mouse Models

New constructs target spinal NK1R-expressing neurons, or mu opioid receptor-containing cells, to relieve inflammatory and neuropathic pain

by Kayt Sukel on 23 Aug 2018

Comment

Botulinum toxin, a neurotoxin made by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, inhibits neuronal signaling by blocking neurotransmitter release, leading to paralysis. Researchers from University College London (UCL), UK; the University…

Drug Development

Research

Volunteer Recruitment for Experimental Pain Research: A Note of Caution

A recent study suggests the presence of sampling bias in human pain studies, but the effects are modest

by Dara Bree on 10 Aug 2018

Comment

Experimental pain research in people often relies on the recruitment of healthy volunteers. However, as pain research often involves unpleasant and painful stimuli, it may be subject to sampling…

Research

Endogenous Opioid Peptides and Non-Peptide Opioid Drugs Drive Different Patterns of Receptor Activation

Nanobody biosensor reveals that peptides activate opioid receptors first at the plasma membrane and then in endosomes, while drugs also propel activation in the Golgi apparatus

by Kayt Sukel on 16 Jul 2018

Comment

Non-peptide opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl bind to opioid receptors (ORs) on the neuronal cell membrane, just as naturally occurring peptide OR ligands do, to bring about analgesia.…

Drug Development

Research

When Touch Causes Itch: A New Role for Merkel Cells in the Skin

A recent mouse study identifies cells that regulate alloknesis through Piezo2

by Dara Bree on 2 Jul 2018

Comment

The sensation of light touch in mammals is mediated by Piezo2 ion channel-containing Merkel cells, which are concentrated in touch-sensitive areas of the skin. Now, a new study proposes…

Research

A Molecular Complex Within the Brain Underlies Opioid Tolerance in Rodents

Disrupting the interaction among opioid receptors, vasopressin receptors, and beta-arrestin-2 offers a potential strategy to slow tolerance in humans, though questions remain

by Matthew Soleiman on 19 Jun 2018

Comment

Patients who take opioids for chronic pain typically develop tolerance to these drugs. Now, researchers led by Taka-aki Koshimizu, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Japan, and Yukio Takano, Fukuoka University,…

Drug Development

Research

Modeling Discogenic Low Back Pain in the Tails of Rats—And Treating It, Too

Hyaluronic acid hydrogel biomaterial prevents pain caused by intervertebral disc injury at the base of the tail

by Nathan Fried on 18 Jun 2018

Comment

Nearly half of chronic low back pain stems from degeneration of the intervertebral discs that sit between each of the spine’s vertebra. To study this phenomenon in animals, researchers…

Research

NIH Announces HEAL Initiative to Combat Opioid Crisis

Pain research gets a boost in funding as part of the effort

by Stephani Sutherland on 5 Jun 2018

Pain researchers and advocates are cheering the announcement of the HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative, which promises to roughly double US National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding…

Research

Highlights From the American Pain Society Scientific Summit: Can Nanomedicine Play a Role in the Future of Pain Treatment?

A session at the March 4-6, 2018, event featured animal studies on macrophage-targeted nanomedicine

by Ashley Cowie on 29 May 2018

Comment

Editor’s note: The following is a report on research presented during a session on pain nanomedicine at the American Pain Society (APS) Annual Scientific Meeting. This year, the meeting…

Conferences

Research

Danger Ahead: Threat Signals Converge to Drive Pain, Hunger

Two new studies identify shared neural circuitry in the hindbrain’s parabrachial nucleus

by Stephani Sutherland on 24 May 2018

Survival is the prime directive of every animal, and it takes work. Animals are under constant threat from starvation, thirst, extreme temperatures, and life-threatening injury and illness. But when…

Research

Highlights From the American Pain Society Scientific Summit: Muscle Pain

Symposium at March 4-6, 2018 event featured discussion of underlying mechanisms of muscle pain in different animal models

by Francie Moehring on 17 May 2018

Comment

Editor’s note: The following is a report on research presented during a symposium on muscle pain at the American Pain Society (APS) Annual Scientific Meeting. This year, the meeting…

Conferences

Research

Three Is Not a Crowd: A Trio of Molecular Sensors Protects Organisms Against Acute Heat

TRPV1, TRPM3, and TRPA1 ion channels act collectively as a fault-tolerant mechanism in mice

by Matthew Soleiman on 14 May 2018

Comment

For decades, researchers have looked for the molecular sensors tuned to potentially harmful heat. Now, a team led by Joris Vriens and Thomas Voets, University of Leuven, Belgium, has…

Research

Mu and Delta Opioid Receptors: Where Are They, and Do They Interact?

New study finds MOR and DOR co-expression limited to small populations of dorsal and ventral horn neurons, and that these opioid receptor subtypes function independently to regulate pain

by Dara Bree on 3 May 2018

Comment

Opioid receptors mediate opioid analgesia and are located throughout the central nervous system (CNS). How they are organized—the cell populations and neural circuits in which they are present—and whether…

Research

Could Cannabis Legalization Help Ease the Opioid Crisis?

Two recent studies show that legalization is associated with decreased opioid prescribing, but many questions remain

by Kayt Sukel on 1 May 2018

Comment

The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic. The most recent statistics released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that, on…

Research

The Fight Against Bacterial Lung Infections: A New Role for Nociceptors?

TRPV1+ neurons regulate host defense against infection and pneumonia by suppressing neutrophils and gamma delta T cell responses

by Dara Bree on 17 Apr 2018

Comment

The pain field is becoming increasingly aware of the links between the nervous and immune systems, and how complex interactions between the two underlie many pain disorders. A new…

Research

Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions and Stress: A Meeting Report From the CACPR 3rd Annual Symposium

Recent event discusses complex pain-stress relationship observed in a number of disorders

by Shana Burrowes, Samuel Krimmel, Janell Payano Sosa, and Jing Zhang on 9 Apr 2018

Comment

Editor’s note: The following is a meeting report from the University of Maryland’s Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research (CACPR) 3rd Annual Symposium. The theme of this event, which…

Conferences

Research

A Pathogenic Autoantibody Causes Pain by Releasing the Brakes on Sensory Neurons

Patient-derived CASPR2 autoantibodies decrease potassium channel expression in mouse sensory neurons

by Nathan Fried on 3 Apr 2018

Comment

Patients who develop autoimmunity to contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2), a neuronal adhesion protein, share a number of clinical features, with neuropathic pain being one of them. But the underlying…

Research

Tamper-Resistant Opioid Yields Mixed Results

New formulation of oxycodone curbs tampering among high-risk individuals but doesn’t change overall opioid use or related harm at a population level, according to a new Australian study

by Matthew Soleiman on 22 Mar 2018

Comment

Like the United States, Australia is in the midst of an opioid crisis. In response, companies in both countries have introduced versions of oxycodone that are difficult to tamper…

Drug Development

Research

New Approaches to Better Assess Pain in Animals and Treat Pain in People: Highlights From SfN 2017

Work on persistent homology, and vagus nerve stimulation, presented at recent meeting

by Ashley Cowie on 15 Mar 2018

Comment

The following is the second of a two-part report on research presented at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, which took place November 11-15 in Washington, DC. See…

Conferences

Research

Interactions Between Neurons and Non-neuronal Cells in Touch, Itch, and Pain: Highlights From SfN 2017

Posters and symposia highlight an emerging area of research

by Ashley Cowie on 15 Mar 2018

Comment

The following is the first of a two-part report on research presented at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, which took place November 11-15 in Washington, DC. See…

Conferences

Research

Neuropathic Pain Symptoms Arise From Different Mechanisms

Cold allodynia depends on TRPV1-lineage nociceptive neurons, while tactile allodynia requires immune cells likely acting on large mechanoreceptive neurons

by Stephani Sutherland on 8 Mar 2018

Comment

Neuropathic pain typically features three hallmark symptoms: spontaneous pain, cold allodynia, and tactile allodynia. New research examining gene expression changes in mice now shows that the last two symptoms…

Research

The Kappa Opioid Receptor Takes Shape

Newly revealed structure of active state of KOR will aid in design of safer, more effective opioids

by Dara Bree on 28 Feb 2018

Comment

Opioids provide rapid and potent pain relief, but these drugs are associated with numerous side effects, including respiratory depression, tolerance, dependence, and addiction. Now, a new study led by…

Drug Development

Research

Lost in Translation: Without New Proteins, Chronic Pain Cannot Take Off

A first-in-class RNA decoy blocks PABP from attaching to messenger RNA, preventing translation and pain sensitization

by Nathan Fried on 21 Feb 2018

Comment

Pain sensitivity after an injury, such as damage to a nerve or an inflammatory insult, involves the synthesis of new proteins in pain neurons. This process is thought to…

Drug Development

Research

Piezo2 Comes in More Forms Than One

Alternative splicing in mice and people could explain the full range of mechanotransduction

by Matthew Soleiman on 8 Feb 2018

Comment

Animals, including humans, can sense mechanical force in a myriad of forms―as light touch, vibration, and even muscle tension, among others. Yet all of these seem to be detected…

Research

What's in a Name for Chronic Pain?

“Nociplastic pain” officially adopted by IASP as third mechanistic descriptor of chronic pain

by Neil Andrews on 5 Feb 2018

For decades, pain researchers have set their sights on understanding pain mechanisms—the cellular and molecular machinery underlying chronic pain. In doing so, they became increasingly aware that the terms…

Research

Nanosymposiums on Pain: Highlights From SfN 2017

Talks on novel targets for pain, and on neuroimmune sex differences in pain, presented at recent meeting

by Francie Moehring on 24 Jan 2018

Comment

The following is a report on two nanosymposiums on pain held at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, which took place November 11-15 in Washington, DC. See other…

Conferences

Research

Pain Researchers Among Science Advocates at Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting

Scientists seize the opportunity to educate US congressional representatives in DC

by Stephani Sutherland on 18 Jan 2018

Comment

The 2017 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience was held November 11-15 in Washington, DC. For some, the meeting’s proximity to Capitol Hill provided an opportunity to speak…

Conferences

People

Research

More Pain, More Aging, and More Pain With Aging: Part 1

Pre-conference workshop at recent IAGG meeting featured experts in clinical research and care

by Neil Andrews on 16 Jan 2018

Comment

Editor's note: This is Part 1 of PRF’s coverage of selected talks from a pre-conference workshop on pain and aging held at the 2017 International Association of Gerontology and…

Conferences

Research

More Pain, More Aging, and More Pain With Aging: Part 2

Pre-conference workshop at recent IAGG meeting featured experts in clinical research and care

by Neil Andrews on 16 Jan 2018

Comment

Editor's note: This is Part 2 of PRF’s coverage of selected talks from a pre-conference workshop on pain and aging, held July 23 in San Francisco, US, at the…

Conferences

Research

Designing Safer Opioids: How Biased Are You?

A systematic analysis of multiple mu opioid receptor agonists reveals that bias factor correlates with therapeutic window

by Nathan Fried on 11 Jan 2018

Comment

Developing safer opioids remains a long-held goal of pain researchers, who have especially set their sights on the mu opioid receptor (MOR). Agonists that bind MORs can activate multiple…

Drug Development

Research

The Unmet Global Need for Palliative Care and Pain Relief

Sick and dying people suffer from untreated pain in low-income countries

by Stephani Sutherland on 4 Jan 2018

Comment

Imagine suffering from agonizing pain due to advanced cancer, or recovering from surgery without receiving any pain medication. That might seem unthinkable in the US and other high-income countries.…

Research

Why Is Craniofacial Pain Often Worse Than Body Pain? An Explanation Emerges

Direct trigeminal ganglion-to-lateral parabrachial nucleus pathway may explain increased suffering associated with head and face pain

by Dara Bree on 19 Dec 2017

Comment

Patients often describe head and face pain (craniofacial pain) as more severe and emotionally unpleasant than pain from the rest of the body. These regions are also the site…

Research

What’s Behind the Spatial Acuity for Pain?

Nociceptive fibers vary in shape in the spinal cord of mice, hinting at an explanation for pain acuity in people

by Matthew Soleiman on 14 Dec 2017

Comment

Compared to other areas of the body, the fingertips are especially sensitive to the threat of injury, and yet they possess fewer pain-signaling nerve fibers. Now, according to new…

Research

Where Will New Pain Drugs Come From?

11th Annual Pain and Migraine Therapeutics Summit in San Diego seeks to fill the drug pipeline

by Stephani Sutherland on 6 Dec 2017

Comment

The 11th Annual Pain and Migraine Therapeutics Summit, chaired by William Schmidt, NorthStar Consulting, Davis, US, and organized by Arrowhead Publishers and Conferences was held September 27-28, 2017, in…

Conferences

Drug Development

Research

An Ion Channel That Perpetuates Pain in Diabetic Neuropathy

Peripheral HCN2 lowers threshold for pain in mouse models of type 1, type 2 diabetes

by Matthew Soleiman on 27 Nov 2017

Comment

Diabetes is on the rise, and consequently, so is the persistent and often intractable pain experienced by many diabetic patients with nerve injury. However, researchers still have a poor…

Drug Development

Research

The Cingulate Cortex and Pain: Let’s Get Specific

A midcingulate cortex to posterior insula pathway plays a key role in nociception, even in the absence of peripheral input

by Allison Marin on 20 Nov 2017

Comment

A newly described pathway from the midcingulate cortex (MCC) to the posterior insula (PI) has a critical part in the regulation of nociceptive hypersensitivity, according to a new study…

Research

A Flatworm to the Rescue

Noxious heat avoidance in planarians linked to activation of TRPA1 by reactive oxygen species

by Neil Andrews on 7 Nov 2017

Comment

The ion channel TRPA1 is in some respects a conundrum, particularly regarding its contribution to temperature sensing. Some variants of TRPA1 respond to heat, while others respond to cold…

Research

Nocebo Effects and Pain: What’s the Cost?

“Expensive” inert treatment produces greater nocebo hyperalgesia than “cheap” version

by Dara Bree on 2 Nov 2017

Comment

Positive (placebo) or negative (nocebo) responses to inert or sham treatments are common occurrences in medicine. Both are complex neurobiological phenomena that can be triggered or modulated by a…

Research

A Chemogenetic Approach to Alleviating Neuropathic Pain

Activation of an engineered ion channel silences sensory neurons, reverses allodynia in mice

by Matthew Soleiman on 27 Oct 2017

Comment

For years, scientists have entertained the idea that chemogenetics—the ability to manipulate genetically defined cells using engineered receptors—might eventually become more than a research tool. If harnessed correctly by…

Research

Texas Pain Research Consortium Defies Hurricane Harvey to Host Second Biennial Pain Research Conference

Meeting in Galveston, Texas, on August 24, 2017, brings out 133 attendees from across the state

by Dayna Loyd Averitt and Shivani Ruparel on 17 Oct 2017

Comment

This meeting report is co-authored by Dayna Loyd Averitt and Shivani Ruparel (Media Committee Co-Chairs).

Conferences

Research

Newly Identified Nociceptors Transmit Pain From Hair Follicles

A-delta nociceptor population responds to pulling of even a single hair in a mouse study

by Nathan Fried on 10 Oct 2017

Comment

Despite decades of research, scientists still don’t know all the types of neurons that transmit the sensation of mechanical pain. Now, researchers add one more piece to the puzzle,…

Research

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Plays a Crucial Role in Pain

Wide-ranging study demonstrates genetic association between EGFR and orofacial pain in humans; new work also shows EGFR inhibitors block inflammatory and neuropathic pain in mice

by Allison Marin on 5 Oct 2017

Comment

New findings in people, mice, and flies points to a role for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in chronic pain. The work, led by Jeffrey Mogil and Luda Diatchenko,…

Research

Developmental Signaling Pathway Regulates Inflammatory Pain

New study shows reawakening of semaphorin 4C-Plexin-B2 signaling in adult mice

by Matthew Soleiman on 27 Sep 2017

Comment

The same genes and proteins that sculpt the developing nervous system are often called upon again in adulthood, even if for very different reasons. Now, a research team led…

Research

Neuroimaging Pain: Recommendations From an IASP Task Force

Ethical and legal concerns spark a Consensus Statement from prominent researchers

by Stephani Sutherland on 26 Sep 2017

Comment

A task force convened by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and made up of researchers in neuroimaging, clinical pain, neuroethics, and law has published a…

Research

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The IASP Pain Research Forum is a publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain