The neuropharmacological basis of placebo analgesia: Mechanisms and clinical applications in the context of chronic pain | Kevin Keay Chronic pain remains a major global health issue, and many patients don’t respond well to standard treatments. In our new review Damien Boorman Lewis Crawford Zahra Siddiqi Loren Martin Luke Henderson...

We discuss how expectancy shaping, conditioning, and open‑label placebos can be ethically used to tap into endogenous pain‑relief systems, reduce opioid reliance, and personalize treatment. Placebo mechanisms offer a way to address the global burden of chronic pain. www.linkedin.com/posts/kevin-...

Neuroinflammation does not exacerbate post-traumatic stress-disorder (PTSD)-like brain measures or behaviour after a traumatic event in male rats Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is strongly linked to neuroinflammation, with immune activation in brain regions such as the amygdala and hippoc…

Neuroinflammation does not exacerbate PTSD-like brain measures or behaviour after a traumatic event in male rats
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

journals.lww.com/pain/fulltex...

Have you been wondering what the role is of non-neuronal cells in modulating sensory neuron activity? Check out this review from @psalmotoxin.bsky.social et al. in @sfnjournals.bsky.social’s #JNeurosci, one of this week’s #EditorsPick papers chosen by @rpseal.bsky.social bit.ly/3XEp2rE #PRF

Immunity in rodent models of stress Chronic stress is a major risk factor for several psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. This review synthesizes rodent-based findings showing th...

Immunity in rodent models of stress
www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S000...

No one knows the answer, and that’s the point — Harvard Gazette “Genuinely Hard Problems” pilots novel approach to scientific education.

An remarkable new undergraduate course conceived and taught by our amazing colleague and Dean of Science Jeff Lichtman: "Genuinely Hard Problems" I wish I was an undergrad again!... 🤣🧪🧬🧠
@harvardmcb.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @harvard.edu

news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

Mapping the anatomy of placebo analgesia The identification of somatotopy in brainstem pain modulatory pathways could help treat chronic pain

Thanks to @massih.bsky.social for inviting me to co-author this commentary @science.org Mapping the anatomy of placebo analgesia | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Somatotopic organization of brainstem analgesic circuitry | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Conditioned Pain Modulation, Placebo and Offset Analgesia: Rates of Behavioural Expression of Inhibitory, Nonresponse and Facilitatory Pain Modulatory Effects Background The brain is capable of powerfully inhibiting perceived pain intensity. Experimentally, three pain modulating phenomena have been well explored: placebo analgesia (PA), offset analgesia (...

Conditioned Pain Modulation, Placebo and Offset Analgesia: Rates of Behavioural Expression of Inhibitory, Nonresponse and Facilitatory Pain Modulatory Effects - Crawford - 2025 - European Journal of Pain - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

A history of injury enhances affective and sensory responses to predator threat by sensitizing corticosterone release through TRPA1 receptor signaling Baumbach et al. use a pain-priming model to show that a history of injury amplifies predator-odor (TMT)-evoked fear and mechanical hypersensitivity that lasts for over 6 months. These responses depend...

A history of injury enhances affective and sensory responses to predator threat by sensitizing corticosterone release through TRPA1 receptor signaling: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...

Maternal immune activation during the lactational period alters offspring behavior, reproductive development, and immune function in mice Exposure to infection during early life can lead to lasting neurodevelopmental changes. Animal models of maternal immune activation (MIA) typically as…

Our new #OpenAccess Hormones & Behavior paper has dropped, featuring undergrad Jailyn. Maternal immune activation during the lactational period alters offspring behavior, reproductive development, & immune function in mice: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #OpenScience #BrainResearch #NeuroSky

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Neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation Liu et al. reveal distinct subcortical pathways from the superior colliculus to the amygdala and insula cortical pathways that govern two visual escape behaviors in two groups of mice, offering new in...

Neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

Pharmacotherapy and non-invasive neuromodulation for neuropathic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis There remains a substantial unmet need for effective and safe treatments for neuropathic pain. The Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group aimed to up…

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Direct comparisons of neural activity during placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia between humans and rats Communications Biology - A novel framework for cross-species analysis reveals the conserved and species-specific neural circuitry underlying placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia.

rdcu.be/egC1Z Our study explores how placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia affects pain in humans and rats. Using c-Fos in rats and fMRI in humans, we report significant common brain activity patterns. Our findings validate animal models for placebo research. #painresearch #painpapers

2025 APS

Register for the @Australian Pain Society 45th Annual Scientific Meeting, 13 – 16 April 2025, in Melbourne, Australia. Experience this beautiful city and a diverse program of pain management research, education, theory, and practice. Learn more and register: bit.ly/3R5xyN1

Cortex, brain. Neurons (NeuN, magenta), axon initial segments (Ankyrin-G, green), nuclei (DAPI, blue)

🌷 Happy National Flower Day 🌷

Cortex, brain. Neurons (NeuN, magenta), axon initial segments (Ankyrin-G, green), nuclei (DAPI, blue)

#FluorescenceFriday #nationalflowerday #painneuroscience

Body donor programs in Australia and New Zealand: Current status and future opportunities - anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.10…
We wish to thank the donors and their families whose altruism enables the continuation of #anatomy #education and #research including this study.

Don't miss the first SoMs Neuroscience Theme Meeting for 2025 - Tuesday 18 Feb with two fabulous speakers, Asheeta Prasad , and @nataliematosin.bsky.social
⬇️ @kevinkeay.bsky.social @sydneyuni.bsky.social

Trigeminal nerve microstructure is linked with neuroinflammation and brainstem activity in migraine Using multimodal imaging, Tohyama et al. show that individuals with migraine have white matter damage in the trigeminal nerve. This damage is associated wi

New study with combined 7 Tesla MRI imaging and PET scan finds altered structures of nerves and neuroinflammation in migraine patients. Vey robust design that includes a control group and same cases as right/left side dominant migraines as controls.
#painresearch
#neuroskyence
#physio
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Are you interested in neuropathic #PainResearch #painscience? 🧪🧠? Get your abstract in now to join us for #NeuPSIG2025 in Berlin! neupsigcongress.org

Evidence for glial reactivity using positron-emission tomography imaging of translocator Protein-18 kD [TSPO] in both sham and nerve-injured rats in a preclinical model of orofacial neuropathic pain Chronic neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition that results from damage to the nervous system. Current treatments are largely ineffective, with …

We show, glial changes in the peripheral nerve and brain in both nerve-injured and sham-injured rats using PET in a preclinical model of neuropathic pain readily translated for human #painresearch studies. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Activation of the proton-sensing GPCR, GPR65 on fibroblast-like synoviocytes contributes to inflammatory joint pain | PNAS Inflammation is associated with localized acidosis, however, attributing physiological and pathological roles to proton-sensitive receptors is chal...

Riding the year out on a high ✨ - latest paper out now in @pnas.org! ☺️ 🙏

Here we describe a role for the proton-sensing GPCR, GPR65 in mediating joint pain from fibroblast-like synoviocytes!

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#PainResearch #Neuroskyence

More on this work below 👇 🧵 [1/10]

Dr James Kang on chronic pain and the brain's response to nerve injury | Research Bytes Bite-size findings from emerging and mid-career researchers at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Medicine and Health

Happy to share a recent podcast featuring awesome postdoc Dr James Kang from our lab talking with the Executive Dean of our Faculty about his recent work shows.acast.com/65b6ec6b1581...

Distinct circuits and molecular targets of the paraventricular hypothalamus decode visceral and somatic pain Li et al. identify the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) as a pain sorting center that distinctly processes visceral and somatic pain. PVH neural ensembles activated by visceral and somatic pain exhibit unique transcriptional profiles and projection patterns, thus providing evidence for clinically targeted treatment of visceral and somatic pain.

The paraventricular hypothalamus processes visceral and somatic pain in distinct ways: Visceral pain neurons express P2X3R and target the lateral septal nucleus, while somatic pain neurons express VIPR2 and project to the zona incerta, aiding targeted pain therapies.
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

diagrams of Behavioral assays tested

1/✨ New paper in #eNeuro! We looked at how dominance behaviors vary across mouse strains—turns out, it’s not one-size-fits-all!
Comparing CD1 & C57 male mice, we found strain-specific dominance behaviors that could change how we study social hierarchy in the lab…🧵
Paper here: tinyurl.com/bdeuf6s9

Pain: Why does it exist, how does it work and how can we more effectively treat it? YouTube video by Cambridge Philosophical Society

Was delighted to give Cambridge Philosophical Society’s AV Hill Lecture, “Pain: Why does it exist, how does it work & how can we more effectively treat it?”

An intro. to pain & overview of some of the exciting things people in our lab are doing!

#PainResearch #Neuroskyence

youtu.be/6dGjfbaRIfk

And me too please?

A vagus nerve dominant tetra-synaptic ascending pathway for gastric pain processing - Nature Communications Gastric pain has limited treatment options and the nociceptive ascending pathway remains largely unclear. Here, the authors identify a glutamatergic tetra-synaptic NTS–LPB–PVT–PL circuit that provides...

Gastric pain ascending pathway revealed: A glutamatergic tetra-synaptic brain circuit links the stomach to the brain via the vagus nerve in mice, offering new targets for relieving visceral pain!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...