Summary: Chronic pain affects millions, but opioid medications bring high risks of dependence and side effects. Researchers have now pinpointed specific neurons in the amygdala that make pain feel unpleasant,…
Category: Pain
What You Expect Shapes How Much Pain You Feel
Key Questions Answered Q: How do expectations influence pain perception?A: Expectations shaped by external cues (like visual signals) and those shaped by treatment information (like placebo explanations) both reduce pain,…
Old Injuries Rewire the Brain to Feel Fear and Pain Forever
Quick Q&A Q: Can past injuries increase sensitivity to future pain or stress?A: Yes — this study shows that old injuries can prime the brain to overreact to new stressors,…
Pain Perception in Babies Develops in Stages After Birth
Summary: A new study shows that the networks responsible for processing pain in infants develop gradually, with emotional and cognitive pain responses maturing only after birth. Researchers scanned the brains…
Depression May Signal Chronic Pain Years Before It Starts
Summary: Middle-aged and older adults who experience chronic pain often show worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain begins. A large-scale study found that depressive symptoms…
Emotional Regulation Offers a New Path to Relief
Summary: A new study shows that improving emotional processing can significantly reduce chronic pain and improve quality of life. Researchers developed Pain and Emotion Therapy, an online intervention teaching emotional…
Negative Expectations Worsen Pain More Than Positive Ones Ease It
Summary: New research shows that negative expectations, known as nocebo effects, exert a stronger and longer-lasting impact on pain perception than positive expectations, or placebo effects. In a two-session study,…
Rubber Hand Illusion Reduces Pain Perception
Summary: A new study shows that the rubber hand illusion can reduce the intensity of pain caused by heat. Researchers found that when participants viewed a rubber hand being illuminated…
Nature’s Painkiller: How Virtual Scenes Ease Pain in the Brain
Summary: Viewing natural scenes can significantly reduce how people perceive pain, a new neuroimaging study has found. Researchers discovered that participants reported less pain and exhibited altered brain activity associated…
How CBD Modulates THC’s Impact on the Brain
Summary: Researchers have identified how CBD interacts with cannabinoid receptors to mitigate the negative effects of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. Unlike THC, which fully activates the receptor and…
