Chronic Pain

First objective measure of pain discovered in brain scan patterns

For the first time, scientists have been able to predict how much pain people are feeling by looking at images of their brains, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.

Neuroscience created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

First oral drug for spinal cord injury improves movement in mice

An experimental oral drug given to mice after a spinal cord injury was effective at improving limb movement after the injury, a new study shows.

Neuroscience created Jan 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study shows early brain changes predict which patients develop chronic pain

When people have similar injuries, why do some end up with chronic pain while others recover and are pain free? The first longitudinal brain imaging study to track participants with a new back injury has found ...

Neuroscience created Jul 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discovery could help combat chronic pain in diabetics

(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have discovered a class of natural compounds found within the body that may someday lead to pain relief for millions of diabetics and others suffering ...

Diabetes created Jun 26, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

New research finds cause of morphine side effects

A University of Colorado Boulder-led research team has discovered that two protein receptors in the central nervous system team up to respond to morphine and cause unwanted neuroinflammation, a finding with implications for ...

Medical research created Apr 02, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study solves structure of 'salvia receptor', reveals how salvinorin A interacts with it

At the molecular level, drugs like salvinorin A (the active ingredient of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum) work by activating specific proteins, known as receptors, in the brain and body. Salvin ...

Medical research created Mar 21, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Reformulated imatinib eliminates morphine tolerance in lab studies

By reformulating the common cancer drug imatinib (Gleevec), researchers have eliminated morphine tolerance in rats – an important step toward improving the effectiveness of chronic pain management in patients, according ...

Medications created Feb 21, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

New understanding of chronic pain suggests new target for drug development

Millions of people worldwide suffer from a type of chronic pain called neuropathic pain, which is triggered by nerve damage. Precisely how this pain persists has been a mystery, and current treatments are largely ineffective. ...

Medical research created Jan 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers identify how cells control calcium influx

(Medical Xpress)—When brain cells are overwhelmed by an influx of too many calcium molecules, they shut down the channels through which these molecules enter the cells. Until now, the "stop" signal mechanism that cells ...

Neuroscience created May 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice

A key type of human brain cell developed in the laboratory grows seamlessly when transplanted into the brains of mice, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that these cells might one day be used to treat ...

Medical research created May 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study finds that hot and cold senses interact

A study from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine offers new insights into how the nervous system processes hot and cold temperatures. The research led by neuroscientist Mark J. Zylka, PhD, ...

Neuroscience created Apr 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study identifies co-factors critical to PTSD development

Research led by Ya-Ping Tang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has found that the action of a specific gene occurring during exposure to adolescent trauma ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 03, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Pinning down the pain: Schwann cell protein plays major role in neuropathic pain

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says a key protein in Schwann cells performs a critical, perhaps overarching, role in ...

Neuroscience created Mar 27, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Relieving chronic pain

A new, implantable device for treating chronic pain passes an important safety test.

Medical research created Mar 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Atrophy of the thalamus is an important predictor of clinically definite MS, study shows

A growing body of research by multiple sclerosis (MS) investigators at the University at Buffalo and international partners is providing powerful new evidence that the brain's gray matter reflects important ...

Neuroscience created Mar 21, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Chronic pain is pain that has lasted for a long time. In medicine, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has traditionally been determined by an arbitrary interval of time since onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since onset, though some theorists and researchers have placed the transition from acute to chronic pain at 12 months. Others apply acute to pain that lasts less than 30 days, chronic to pain of more than six months duration, and subacute to pain that lasts from one to six months. A popular alternative definition of chronic pain, involving no arbitrarily fixed durations is "pain that extends beyond the expected period of healing."

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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