Pain

Two new imaging breakthroughs demonstrate a PET/MRI approach to locate specific locations of chronic pain in a patient, and a full-body scanner that can visualize the complete systemic burden of inflammatory arthritis for the very first time.

New research is offering the first clinical trial insights into microdosing THC to treat chronic pain. The results of the small trial suggest tiny doses of THC may confer clinically apparent reductions in pain without inducing psychoactive effects.

As some readers may already know, in-ear stimulation of the vagus nerve can help relieve pain in other parts of the body. Thanks to new research by Austrian scientists, such treatments could soon be more effective than ever.

What drives pain and how it might be prevented in humans are complex questions demanding complex answers, but scientists at Duke University have come across a rather simple one, comparatively speaking.

New research describes the successful results of animal studies testing a novel experimental peptide designed to inhibit the receptors responsible for chronic neuropathic pain. The research is now moving towards initial human trials.

Opioid pain relievers not only produce potential side effects such as nausea and constipation, but they can also be highly addictive. Australian scientists have therefore created what could be a better medication, that is made using tarantula venom.

A study tracking the potency of cannabis products found most medical marijuana is stronger than it needs to be for pain relief. The research suggests high THC levels are unnecessary for medical uses and can increase the risk of negative side effects.

New research has found a toxin extracted from the venom of a South American rattlesnake can function as an effective analgesic for neuropathic pain. The Brazilian study reveals the venom’s toxicity can be reduced by encapsulating it in tiny silica particles.

Scientists in Australia are reporting an exciting breakthrough in the realm of pain-relief, demonstrating the viability of a new type of pain-blocking neuron derived from human stem cells for the first time.

New research is presenting evidence that cannabis can significantly reduce the severity of headaches and migraines. But the question remains: why are scientists coming up with such discordant results on whether cannabis can reduce pain?

Australian researchers have discovered a fungus in Tasmania that produces novel molecules with similar activity to opioids. These never-before-seen molecules may have similar analgesic properties to morphine but without its dangerous side effects.

You may think that we’ve got a good handle on the organs in the body by now, but it turns out that the final count is surprisingly contentious. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden claim to have discovered a new sensory organ in the skin that’s involved in pain detection and response.