News

PRF Rolls Out Improvements to Papers of the Week

Upgrades improve navigability and usefulness of the weekly list

by PRF Team on 28 Sep 2014

Comment

PRF is excited to announce improvements to its highly popular Papers of the Week literature review. The changes will make it easier for readers to find the content most…

Novel Protein Promotes GABAergic Inhibition, Analgesia in Peripheral Nervous System

GINIP regulates GABAB receptor signaling in nociceptors

by Stephani Sutherland on 26 Sep 2014

Comment

With neuropathic pain, the spinal cord suffers a loss of “inhibitory tone”—signaling by GABA, the nervous system’s main inhibitory transmitter. GABA receptors would seem an ideal target to dampen…

Research

CRISPR Gene Editing—Poised to Revolutionize Neuroscience?

Researchers modify expression of genes with CRISPR technology

by Jessica Shugart on 16 Sep 2014

Comment

The following was adapted from a news story that originally appeared on the Alzforum.

Research

Neuroscientists Probe CRISPR Transgenics and Treatment Paradigms

Neuroscientists use CRISPR technology to edit genome of any species

by Jessica Shugart on 16 Sep 2014

Comment

The following was adapted from a news story that originally appeared on the Alzforum.

Research

Calcium Channel Modification Offers Novel Target for Pain Relief

Ubiquitin-removing enzyme USP5 regulates Cav3.2 levels, pain in mice

by Michele Solis on 11 Sep 2014

Comment

Researchers have identified a potent regulator of pain signaling, called ubiquitin-specific protease 5 (USP5), in sensory neurons. Published in Neuron September 3, the study found that USP5 cleaves ubiquitin…

Research

Alcohol Metabolizing Enzyme Does Double Duty to Quell Pain

Dehydrogenase clears aldehydes from tissues, lessens pain in rodent models of inflammation

by Stephani Sutherland on 5 Sep 2014

Comment

Over half a billion people carry a genetic mutation in an enzyme crucial to alcohol metabolism: aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2). People with the inactive enzyme, including an estimated one-third of…

Research

PRF Announces New Webinar Series for 2014-2015

Diverse slate of live presentations and discussions to focus on preclinical and clinical development of novel pain therapeutics

by PRF Team on 18 Aug 2014

Comment

The Pain Research Forum is pleased to announce “Challenges in Pain Drug Development,” a new series of free monthly webinars for 2014-2015. The chief aim of the new series…

Research

Repurposed Drugs Show Promise to Treat Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Diabetes and multiple sclerosis drugs produce positive results in animal models, are poised for human testing

by Abdul-Kareem Ahmed on 12 Aug 2014

Comment

One of the most common reasons cancer patients stop chemotherapy early is because of a single side effect, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Characterized by a gradual destruction of sensory…

Drug Development

Research

Mice in Pain Lose Drive, Show Changes in Brain Circuits Important for Motivation

Long-term depression in the nucleus accumbens to blame for reduced motivation to work for reward in mouse models of chronic pain

by Allison Curley on 8 Aug 2014

Comment

Chronic pain leads to synaptic changes in the brain that reduce motivation to seek reward, according to a new mouse study published August 1 in Science. Researchers led by…

Research

Transparent Bodies Allow Neural Networks to Apparate

Whole-mouse tissue-clarifying technique offers new view of peripheral nervous system

by Jessica Shugart on 4 Aug 2014

Comment

The following was adapted from a news story that originally appeared on the Alzheimer Research Forum.

Research

Highlights From the 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society: Part 1

Recent conference featured diverse slate of talks on pain science and treatment

by Neil Andrews on 30 Jul 2014

Comment

Pain researchers and clinicians headed to Tampa, Florida, US, for the 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society (APS), held April 30-May 3, 2014. A wide range…

Conferences

Research

Highlights From the 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society: Part 2

More on the latest research presented in Tampa

by Neil Andrews on 30 Jul 2014

Comment

This is Part 2 of a two-part report on selected talks from the 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society (APS), held April 30-May 3, 2014 in…

Conferences

Research

Wnt Signaling at Peripheral Nerve Endings Triggers Pathological Pain

Tumor-derived Wnts contribute to cancer pain

Stephani Sutherland on 18 Jul 2014

Comment

Wnt signaling pathways, once thought to act strictly in development, are now known to play important roles in adult tissues, including in nociceptors where they can mediate pain sensitization.…

Research

Pain and Depression: A Comorbidity Conundrum

News from the 2014 NIH Pain Consortium Symposium on biological and psychological factors that contribute to chronic pain

by Pat McCaffrey on 9 Jul 2014

Interest in pain is on the rise at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), said Nora Volkow, chief of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, welcoming participants to…

Conferences

Drug Development

Research

Pain and Sleep: Solve One Problem, Solve the Other?

More from the 2014 NIH Pain Consortium Symposium on biological and psychological factors that contribute to pain

by Pat McCaffrey on 9 Jul 2014

Comment

From pain and depression, the NIH Pain Consortium Symposium agenda moved to pain and sleep disorders. Michael Vitiello, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, US, described results of…

Conferences

Drug Development

Research

Acid Bath Stem Cell Papers Retracted

Researchers pull two stem cell papers after scrutiny uncovers misconduct

by Gwyneth Dickey Zakaib on 7 Jul 2014

Comment

The following originally appeared on the Alzheimer Research Forum.

Research

Mycobacteria Use Angiotensin Receptor Pathway to Produce Painless Infections

Type 2 receptor implicated in diminished pain sensation in mouse model of infection

by Allison Curley on 2 Jul 2014

Comment

Signaling through the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) is responsible for the surprisingly painless nature of lesions found in the early stages of the necrotizing tropical disease Buruli…

Research

PRF Announces Partnership With American Pain Society

APS will sponsor popular Papers of the Week feature, to benefit pain research community

by PRF Team on 25 Jun 2014

Comment

The Pain Research Forum is delighted to announce that the American Pain Society (APS) is now the official sponsor of PRF’s Papers of the Week. Through a collaborative agreement,…

Research

Different Pain, Same Genes?

Twin study suggests common genetic factors behind diverse chronic pain syndromes

by Michele Solis on 23 Jun 2014

Comment

Different chronic pain syndromes share genetic risk factors, according to a study published online May 29 in Pain. The study, led by Frances Williams of King’s College London, UK,…

Research

Pain and Itch: From the Periphery to the Spinal Cord to the Brain

Neurobiology of Pain and Itch conference in San Francisco highlighted emerging understanding of neural circuitry behind two related sensations

by Neil Andrews on 18 Jun 2014

Comment

The neural processing of pain and itch took center stage at the Neurobiology of Pain and Itch meeting held April 10-11, 2014, at the University of California, San Francisco…

Conferences

Research

When Cancer Treatment Packs a Painful Punch

Research into chemotherapy-induced neuropathy puts focus on mitochondria, but new therapies remain elusive

by David C. Holzman on 6 Jun 2014

“It was pretty embarrassing,” said Gary Bennett of McGill University, Montreal, Canada. It was 2005, and his group had been working on a rat model of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.…

Drug Development

Research

Lipid Kinase Emerges as Novel Analgesic Target

Inhibitor of PIP2 production shows analgesia in mouse models of pain

by Allison Curley on 4 Jun 2014

Comment

The lipid kinase PIP5K1C controls phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2)-dependent nociceptive signaling and is a novel therapeutic target for treating pain, report Mark Zylka and colleagues from the University of North…

Research

No Pain, Time Gained

TRPV1 knockout mice live longer, keep youthful metabolism, thanks to lowering of CGRP

by Michele Solis on 4 Jun 2014

Comment

The loss of pain-transducing receptors paves the way to a long life, according to a study published May 22 in Cell. Led by Andrew Dillin of University of California…

Research

Synaptic Metropolis—Microscopic Census Documents 300,000 Protein Inhabitants

A molecular-level look at the basic unit of communication in the nervous system

by Jessica Shugart on 2 Jun 2014

Comment

The following was adapted from a news story that originally appeared on the Alzheimer Research Forum.

Research

A Move Toward Sex Equality in Preclinical Research

New NIH policy requires equal representation of female and male animals, cells in studies

by Stephani Sutherland on 28 May 2014

Women suffer from chronic pain conditions in far greater numbers than do men, and recent research suggests that the basic biology of men’s and women’s experiences of pain might…

Research

Sodium Channel Antibody Inhibits Pain, Itch

Studies in animal models suggest therapeutic potential for antibody to Nav1.7

by Michele Solis on 27 May 2014

Comment

An antibody to the paddle-shaped voltage sensor of the Nav1.7 sodium channel calms pain and itch in mice, according to a study published May 22 in Cell. The study,…

Research

Pain Sensitization Helps Injured Squid Survive Predators

Results suggest an ancient purpose for neural plasticity, new perspective on chronic pain

by Summer Allen on 19 May 2014

Comment

It is difficult to imagine anything good about chronic pain. But a clever study shows for the first time that there may be an evolutionary advantage to nociceptive sensitization,…

Research

Third Sodium Channel Implicated in Painful Small-Fiber Neuropathy

Mutations in Nav1.9 render pain neurons hyperexcitable

by Stephani Sutherland on 16 May 2014

Three voltage-gated sodium channels—Nav1.7, 1.8, and 1.9—all participate in tuning the excitability of pain-sensing nociceptors. Genetic changes that alter the function of two of the channels, 1.7 and 1.8,…

Research

Male Experimenters Attenuate Pain Responses in Mice

Olfactory cues induce stress and analgesia

by Michele Solis on 2 May 2014

Comment

During pain experiments, mice show reduced pain responses in the presence of men compared to that of women, reports a study published in Nature Methods on April 28. The…

Research

Botulinum Toxin Targets Mechanosensitive Nociceptors

Results provide hints about analgesic effects in migraine, other pain conditions

by Stephani Sutherland on 1 May 2014

Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A), a potentially deadly, muscle-paralyzing neurotoxin, has been famously repurposed to smooth out facial wrinkles, relax muscle spasms, and, recently, to treat headaches associated with…

Research

Extracellular MicroRNA Emerges as Neuromodulator, Pain Signal

Let-7b binds Toll-like receptor and activates TRPA1 ion channel in nociceptors

by Stephani Sutherland on 18 Apr 2014

Comment

Tiny, non-coding bits of RNA, once mistaken for cellular debris, have emerged in the past decade as key regulators of gene expression and, more recently, as potential extracellular messengers.…

Research

Targeting the Trigeminal Nerve With Gene Therapy

Injection of enkephalin-expressing vector into trigeminal ganglion gives widespread protection in mouse models of inflammatory pain

by Abdul-Kareem Ahmed on 16 Apr 2014

Comment

Resembling a splayed claw, the trigeminal nerve innervates the entirety of the face and forehead, relaying to the brainstem multiple sensory modalities such as touch, temperature, and pain. However,…

Research

Sensory Neurons Get Touchy When STOML3 Is Around

Protein tunes mechanosensitivity of mammalian Piezo channels

by Michele Solis on 10 Apr 2014

Comment

Stomatin-like protein 3 (STOML3) boosts neural and channel responses to mechanical stimuli, according to a paper published March 24 in Nature Communications. Led by Gary Lewin of the Max-Delbrück…

Research

A High-Resolution Wiring Diagram of the Mammalian Brain

Connectome project yields mouse brain map

by Jessica Shugart on 9 Apr 2014

Comment

The following was adapted from a news story that originally appeared on the Alzheimer Research Forum.

Research

A Five-Dimensional View of Pain

Progress report on ACTTION/APS Pain Taxonomy effort

by Carol Cruzan Morton on 3 Apr 2014

Comment

Leaders of a major effort to systematically classify all common chronic pain conditions expect to have the first stage completed by mid-July 2014. The Pain Taxonomy, a project of…

Research

The Pain Treatment Pipeline: Biased Ligands, Monoclonal Antibodies, and More

7th Annual Pain and Migraine Therapeutics Summit in San Diego features diverse therapeutic approaches

by Neil Andrews on 20 Mar 2014

Comment

The West Coast edition of the 2013 Pain Therapeutics Summit, organized by Arrowhead Publishers and Conferences and chaired by William Schmidt, NorthStar Consulting, Davis, California, US, was held November…

Conferences

Drug Development

Research

Not Just for Pain, Opioid Receptors Found to Modulate Touch Neurons, Too

Delta-type opioid receptors in mechanosensors could quell tactile allodynia

by Stephani Sutherland on 14 Mar 2014

Comment

Opioid receptors are among the most intensely studied molecules in pain and the linchpin of opiate drug analgesia. Now, researchers reveal a striking new role for the δ (delta)-type…

Research

News Brief: Structure of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Domain Will Aid Drug Design

Binding site for small-molecule allosteric modulator revealed

by Megan Talkington on 11 Mar 2014

Comment

Researchers have reported a crystal structure of the seven-transmembrane (7TM) domain from human metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1 (mGlu1) bound to a small-molecule negative allosteric modulator. The structure should…

Research

PRF Announces Science Advisory Board for 2014-2015

New members from around the globe bring basic and clinical research expertise to guide site growth and development

by PRF Executive Editor on 6 Mar 2014

Comment

PRF is delighted to welcome eight leading pain researchers as new science advisors. Joining the panel for a two-year term are:

People

Virus-Based Optogenetics Provides On and Off Switches for Pain

Light activates or inhibits nociceptors in freely moving non-transgenic mice

by Summer Allen on 3 Mar 2014

Comment

Optogenetics—the use of light-sensitive ion channels to regulate neuron activity—is a powerful method that has only recently been used to probe the transmission of pain signals. But thus far,…

Research

Toxineering: New Tool for Harnessing the Power of Nature’s Poisons

Screening approach could improve the design of ion channel-modifying drugs

by Allison Curley on 25 Feb 2014

Comment

Although spiders, snakes, and other poisonous predators get a bad rap, the diverse and highly specific peptides found in their venoms have proven quite useful for uncovering the function…

Drug Development

Research

New Possibilities for Pain Treatment

7th Annual Pain Therapeutics Summit showcases therapies in development

by Megan Talkington on 20 Feb 2014

Comment

The annual Pain Therapeutics Summit, organized by Arrowhead Publishers and Conferences and chaired by William Schmidt, NorthStar Consulting, Davis, California, US, brings together investigators from industry and academia to…

Conferences

Drug Development

Research

Topical Compound Boosts Trophic Factor Actions to Stem Neuropathy

Drug restores thermal nociception in two mouse models of small fiber neuropathy

by Stephani Sutherland on 19 Feb 2014

Comment

The term small fiber neuropathy (SFN) encompasses a mixed bag of conditions with a unifying element: damage or malfunction in unmyelinated peripheral nerves. In new work from Gabriel Corfas…

Drug Development

Research

Central TRPV1 Contributes to Neuropathic Hyperalgesia

Descending serotonergic inputs help sensitize neurons

by Stephani Sutherland on 11 Feb 2014

When it comes to transient receptor potential channel V1 (TRPV1), pain research has naturally focused on the peripheral tips of sensory neurons, where TRPV1 encounters its best-known activators: heat…

Research

Heat Sensitivity Embedded in DNA Methylation?

Genomewide scan finds epigenetic changes related to pain thresholds

by Michele Solis on 10 Feb 2014

Comment

People’s sensitivity to painful heat may be determined, in part, from the pattern of methyl groups found along their DNA, according to a study published February 4 in Nature…

Research

The Collective Good: Pooling Data to Boost Brain Imaging Research

Two new resources enable collaboration

by Abdul-Kareem Ahmed on 6 Feb 2014

Comment

The world of chronic pain research now has its eyes on the brain. Some quality of the brain—whether a particular gray matter distribution or the idiosyncratic configuration of a…

Research

PRF Announces Reorganization of Editorial Leadership

New appointments set the stage for future growth

by PRF Publisher on 31 Jan 2014

Comment

PRF announces the appointment of Neil Andrews as Executive Editor, and Pat McCaffrey as News Editor, effective February 1, 2014.

People

TREK-1 Potassium Channel Implicated in Morphine Analgesia But Not Adverse Effects

Study offers new analgesic target downstream of opioid receptor

by Stephani Sutherland on 21 Jan 2014

Comment

Morphine serves up powerful analgesia, but it comes with sides of respiratory depression, constipation, drug tolerance, withdrawal, itch, and even morphine-induced pain. What if the drug’s pain-killing benefit could…

Research

Labeling of Pills Proves Potent in Pain Relief

Clinical study quantifies effect of positive information about placebo or active drug in migraine

by Michele Solis on 18 Jan 2014

Comment

When testing drugs for pain relief, the information doctors give matters almost as much as the medicine subjects receive, according to a study published January 8 in Science Translational…

Drug Development

Research

Comment
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Loss of Focus: The Brain Circuitry of Mind Wandering Away From Pain

Research presented at Neuroscience 2013 indicates connectivity between default-mode and antinociceptive brain networks contributes to individuals’ tendency to tune pain out

by Stephani Sutherland on 15 Jan 2014

Comment

Pain is an attention hog. Normally, our awareness constantly fluctuates from our immediate environment, away to thoughts of the past or future, and back again. But a painful stimulus…

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