Redheads cope better with pain

Extra Nerve Fibers May Heighten Female Pain Perception

Human brain mechanisms of pain perception and regulation in health and disease

Conclusion: The nociceptive system is now recognized as a sensory system in its own right, from primary afferents to multiple brain areas. Pain experience is strongly modulated by interactions of ascending and descending pathways. Understanding these modulatory mechanisms in health and in disease is critical for developing fully effective therapies for the treatment of clinical pain conditions.

Sleep and pain

Conclusion: There is a reciprocal relationship between sleep quality and pain. The recognition of disturbed or unrefreshing sleep influences the management of painful medical disorders.

Study Links Chronic Pain to Signals in the Brain

For centuries, doctors have tried to find effective ways to treat chronic pain, a devastating neurological disorder that affects almost 90 million Americans. A new study shows that two proteins in the brain trigger the neuronal changes that amplify and sustain this type of pain. The finding may lead to new ways of treating chronic pain.

Pain FAQs

Pain Physiology (pdf)