News

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

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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…

Conferences

Research

Popularity Contest: The Top News Stories and Papers of 2013 on PRF

What were you looking at?

by PRF Editors on 20 Dec 2013

Comment

As the year draws to a close, it’s a great time to take a look back at the stories and papers that caught the attention of PRF readers in 2013.…

Blog

Research

Building a Case for the Astrocyte Contribution to Pain Signaling

Mouse study presented at Neuroscience 2013 in San Diego shows that chemokines released through astrocyte hemichannels sensitize spinal cord neurons

by Stephani Sutherland on 19 Dec 2013

Glial cells have recently emerged as important regulators of chronic pain, particularly in the spinal cord where they contribute to the neuronal sensitization thought to underlie neuropathic pain hypersensitivity.…

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OPPERA Sings: Risk Factors for Jaw Pain Revealed in Large Prospective Study

Temporomandibular disorder more than a localized orofacial pain condition

by Allison Curley on 18 Dec 2013

Comment

Risk factors for temporomandibular disorder (TMD) reach far beyond the jaw joint, reveals the climactic second act of the Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) study. Building…

Research

High-Resolution Structure of TRPV1 Revealed by Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Two papers make big advances for pain science and structural biology

by Stephani Sutherland on 11 Dec 2013

Comment

The cloning of transient receptor potential channel V1 (TRPV1) in 1997 by David Julius and colleagues (Caterina et al., 1997) ushered in a new age of molecular pain research.

Research

Taking the Good and Leaving the Rest: COX-2 Inhibitors Alleviate THC’s Downsides in the Brain

Potential pathway to improved therapeutic profile of marijuana?

by Michele Solis on 27 Nov 2013

Comment

Marijuana soothes a variety of ills, including pain, but it also wreaks havoc with cognition. According to a study published November 21 in Cell, this unwanted side effect and…

Research

Compound That Affects Kinase in Pain Pathway Also Targets Sodium Channels Directly

Findings presented at Neuroscience 2013 in San Diego suggest a single molecule could have a dual role in relieving pain

by Stephani Sutherland on 26 Nov 2013

Comment

Metabotropic signaling by proteins such as kinases modulates the sodium channels that drive action potential firing in pain-sensing neurons and has therefore joined the ranks of potential targets for…

Conferences

Drug Development

Research

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Changes Gray Matter Morphology in Chronic Pain

Increase in gray matter correlates with decrease in catastrophizing

by Abdul-Kareem Ahmed on 25 Nov 2013

Comment

The human brain is an amazingly plastic organ that is shaped by the powerful experience of pain. Previous research has indicated that patients with chronic pain show reduced cerebral…

Research

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Periaqueductal Gray Elicits Endogenous Opioid Release

PET study presented at Neuroscience 2013 in San Diego hints at answer to long-standing question

by Stephani Sutherland on 20 Nov 2013

Comment

The periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), nestled around the cerebral aqueduct in the midbrain, sits at the center of a brain network responsible for descending modulation of pain. Deep brain…

Conferences

Research

David Julius Honored With Janssen Award for Biomedical Research

Audio and slides of talks from award symposium now available online

by Megan Talkington on 14 Nov 2013

Comment

The prestigious Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research, awarded annually by Johnson & Johnson, this year went to pain researcher David Julius of the University of California, San…

People

Research

Anoctamin Channels: Surprising New Players in Acute and Chronic Pain

Recent studies highlight function of Ano1 and Ano3 family members

by Megan Stephan on 8 Nov 2013

Comment

Two members of the anoctamin family, a recently discovered group of membrane proteins, have unexpectedly been found to play important roles in nociception and pain. Recent papers from the…

Research

Multiple Studies, One Conclusion: Some Fibromyalgia Patients Show Peripheral Nerve Pathologies

Role of small fiber abnormalities in condition unclear

by Stephani Sutherland on 6 Nov 2013

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) ranks among the most enigmatic and prevalent chronic pain conditions. Researchers and clinicians have searched in vain for an underlying cause for the unexplained widespread muscle…

Research

Mutations in Nav1.9 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Found in Inherited Pain Condition

Two families carry gain-of-function Nav1.9 mutations that increase neuronal excitability

by Stephani Sutherland on 5 Nov 2013

Comment

Voltage-gated sodium channels drive action potential firing in pain-sensing neurons, and mutations in the genes for Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, two channels critical for nociceptor function, have been linked to…

Research

TAFA4 Protein Calms Painful Touch

Chemokine-like protein expressed in C-low threshold mechanoreceptors reverses hypersensitivity

by Michele Solis on 4 Nov 2013

Comment

A protein found in a select few sensory neurons suppresses painful touch after an injury, according to a study published October 15 in Cell Reports. Called TAFA4, the protein…

Research

Scorpion Toxin Blocks Nav1.8 Channel, Pain in Grasshopper Mouse

Evolutionary adaptation turns painful toxin into analgesic

by Stephani Sutherland on 1 Nov 2013

Comment

Most mammals, humans included, writhe in pain in response to a venomous sting from the bark scorpion. Not so the grasshopper mouse. The scorpion’s desert-dwelling cohabitant seems unperturbed by…

Research

Chloride Transporter Emerges as Druggable Target for Pain

KCC2-selective compound restores impaired chloride transport in neurons and improves hypersensitivity in rat model of neuropathic pain

by Stephani Sutherland on 16 Oct 2013

Comment

The potassium-chloride cotransporter KCC2 might seem an unlikely target for the next generation of pain medications. The humble protein, found on neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal…

Drug Development

Research

Brain Activity Shifts as Pain Becomes Chronic

Lower back pain signals move from nociceptive regions to areas involved with emotional aspects of pain

by Abdul-Kareem Ahmed on 8 Oct 2013

Chronic back pain is associated with marked changes in brain activity compared to acute pain, says a new study from A. Vania Apkarian and colleagues at Northwestern University, Chicago,…

Research

Research Resources: Pain Networks Shows Connections Between Pain-Related Genes

New online tool provides fresh visual perspective on gene data

by Stephani Sutherland on 7 Oct 2013

Comment

With the advent of high-throughput techniques such as microarrays, researchers have generated mountains of data about genes and proteins thought to participate in pain processes. But all that information…

Research

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: The Next Wave in Pain Treatment?

Non-invasive technique shows promise but needs more study

by Stephani Sutherland on 3 Oct 2013

Comment

Electrical stimulation of the motor cortex was established as an effective treatment for pain 20 years ago, but the risks and drawbacks of surgically implanting electrodes in the brain…

Drug Development

Research

Opioid Receptor Activity Masks Traces of Past Pain Long After Injury

Interrupting signaling produces withdrawal, hyperalgesia in mice

by Michele Solis on 2 Oct 2013

Comment

As an injury heals, the dissipation of pain over time is apparently not a simple return to normal. According to a study published September 20 in Science, the pain-free…

Research

Mutation in Nav1.9 Sodium Channel Linked to Pain Insensitivity in People

Unexpectedly, gain of function in channel appears to lead to loss of pain sensation

by Stephani Sutherland on 27 Sep 2013

Comment

People with congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) often come to severe bodily harm in the absence of protective painful feedback. Mutations leading to this infrequent disorder have been identified…

Research

First Responder: Nervous System Senses Bacterial Invasion

Staph organisms directly activate pain neurons and suppress immune response

by Carol Cruzan Morton on 29 Aug 2013

Comment

A tender infection in a wound or surgical site by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus hurts for more reasons than anyone had suspected. A new study in mice shows that…

Research

News Brief: Substrate-Selective COX-2 Inhibitor Elevates Brain Endocannabinoids

Novel inhibitor reduces anxiety behaviors in mice, needs testing in pain models

by Pat McCaffrey on 20 Aug 2013

Comment

Pharmacological strategies to increase endocannabinoids (ECs) could provide new treatments for a variety of diseases, from pain and inflammation to stress and anxiety disorders. A study published in the…

Research

Spinal Cord Stimulation: Promising Variation on a Theme?

Ramping up electrical frequency appears to alter neuronal activity in novel ways

by Stephani Sutherland on 14 Aug 2013

Comment

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS)—the delivery of pulses of electric current directly to the spinal cord via implanted electrodes—is an increasingly utilized pain treatment that gives some relief to about…

Research

Novel Mechanisms of Ion Channel Regulation Implicated in Neuropathic Pain

Studies identify roles for a long noncoding RNA and a ubiquitin ligase in rodent models of nerve injury

by Carol Cruzan Morton on 25 Jul 2013

Neuropathic pain is thought to arise from injured nerves made hypersensitive in part by increased expression of sodium channels and decreased expression of potassium channels. Two different papers report…

Research

GWAS Meta-Analysis Ties New Loci to Migraine Susceptibility

First common missense variant also reported at IHC 2013

by Megan Talkington and Neil Andrews on 10 Jul 2013

Comment

In a paper posted online June 23 in Nature Genetics, teams of researchers led by the International Headache Genetics Consortium report the largest meta-analysis of genomewide association studies (GWAS)…

Conferences

Research

Pain-Specific Brain Activity Is Subtle, and Scattered

New study suggests that even visual and auditory cortices show pain signatures

by Megan Talkington on 9 Jul 2013

Researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to define neural signatures of pain in the brain face a daunting task, because pain elicits complex and distributed activity in many…

Research

Wnt Signaling Linked to Neuropathic Pain

Developmental regulators may provide new target to prevent pain pathogenesis

by Stephani Sutherland on 28 Jun 2013

Comment

The idea that reawakening of dormant developmental pathways, in mature sensory and spinal neurons after injury or insult, contributes to neuropathic pain has gained traction in recent years. Two…

Research

VGLUT3: First a Role in Hearing, Then a Part in Pain

A conversation with Rebecca Seal, a recipient of a 2013 Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain research grant from the Rita Allen Foundation and American Pain Society

by Neil Andrews on 17 Jun 2013

Comment

This is the third in a three-part series of interviews with young investigators who were recognized for their work at the 8-11 May 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting of the…

Conferences

People

Research

Elucidating a Role for Inhibitory Interneurons in Neuropathic Pain

A conversation with Reza Sharif-Naeini, a recipient of a 2013 Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain research grant from the Rita Allen Foundation and the American Pain Society

by Neil Andrews on 17 Jun 2013

Comment

This is the second in a three-part series of interviews with young investigators who were recognized for their work at the 8-11 May 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting of the…

Conferences

People

Research

Progress Toward Understanding and Treating Itch

Silencing itch-transducing neurons, a role for TRPA1 in chronic itch, and a new itch neurotransmitter

by Megan Talkington on 10 Jun 2013

Comment

It has been a banner year for research into the neurobiology of itch, the close cousin of pain. Three recent studies add to the rapidly advancing understanding of the…

Research

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