New research from neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found that chronic pain can be suppressed by feelings of hunger. This unique evolutionary quirk, controlled by a very small population of brain cells, could offer researchers novel new targets for pain treatments.
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Osteoarthritis can cause intense knee pain. There may be hope for people who want to avoid open surgery, however, in the form of a minimally-invasive treatment known as geniculate artery embolization. Research on the first US clinical trials of the procedure was presented this Monday.
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New research has identified an area in the brain responsible for modulating our feeling of pain. The discovery suggests new pathways toward non-opioid pain control if this natural painkilling system can be artificially activated.
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Many modern opioid-based painkillers don't target the specific site of pain but instead interfere with the brain's sensation of that pain. Researchers have now revealed a novel method for reducing our responsiveness to pain and it involves tricking our body’s pain-signaling processes.
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For people suffering from chronic pain conditions, conventional painkillers often aren’t effective. Now, a new hope for relief might have been found in the strange case of an Italian family, who all have a genetic mutation that makes them feel almost no pain at all.
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Imagine if your car could feel pain and alert you when it takes damage. The US Army is funding research to make that a reality, with vehicles outfitted with a smart material that senses damage the way nerves sense pain, relaying a damage report to help with maintenance and repairs.
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Needles are usually seen as a necessary evil, but maybe they don’t have to be - plenty of painless alternatives are in the works. Now, a pain-free jet-injection device has emerged from development limbo with a commercialization deal that should see it soon hit the market.
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Researchers are developing an artificial nervous system for robots, a tool they believe will better equip these machines to avoid damage and preserve their well-being.
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A new study has examined a rare condition that makes people unable to feel pain, known as congenital insensitivity to pain. The effort represents a big breakthrough, pinpointing the key elements that cause the condition.
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It's important to know how much pain young hospital patients are experiencing. That's why scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have developed facial pattern recognition software that objectively assesses children's pain levels based on consistent indicators.
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