opioid

Suppressing Neurons Curbs Withdrawal-Induced Pain Hypersensitivity

Insights From Mouse Study Could Aid Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

A headache or stubbed toe is annoying enough as it is, but for people in recovery from opioid use disorder, everyday aches and pains — and even sensations that would ordinarily not be painful at all — can be amped up to the point that they become quite distressing. A new IRP mouse study has helped scientists home in on the specific brain cells that might cause this phenomenon, providing a first step towards an intervention that could make it easier for people to stop using addictive opioid medications or illegal drugs like heroin.

Examining the Roots of Opioid Use Disorder

IRP Researchers Are Peering Into the Brain to Learn Why Opioid Drugs Are So Hard to Quit

Monday, March 13, 2023

The ancient Egyptians, despite their significant anatomical knowledge, thought the heart was the seat of intelligence. Over the millennia, that view changed as philosophers and scientists alike came to appreciate the extraordinary role of the brain. It is partly thanks to them that we celebrate Brain Awareness Week every March. In honor of this observance, we took the opportunity to talk with IRP senior investigator Yihong Yang, Ph.D., and postdoctoral fellow Ida Fredriksson, Ph.D., Pharm.D., about their investigation into how cravings for opioids build during a period of prolonged abstinence, often leading to relapse.

A One-Stop Shop for Pain Research

NIH Pain Research Center Shines Light on a Common and Complex Ailment

Monday, April 25, 2022

At one time or another, practically everyone has had a headache, stubbed their toe, or scorched their mouth on a hot slice of pizza, making pain one of the few experiences that essentially all people share. Despite its everyday nature, however, pain remains extremely mysterious. Even more enigmatic is chronic pain, which may not even stem from a clearly defined source yet affects more than a fifth of American adults.

Given the near-universality of pain and its huge social and economic burden, it’s no surprise that many researchers at NIH study it. Yet, prior to 2019, there was no central, shared entity in the NIH’s Intramural Research Program that united the many scientists performing this important work. That was the year NIH’s Pain Research Center was established, with the help of funding from the NIH Director’s Challenge Innovation Awards.

NIH Research Festival Hosts Postdoc Poster-Palooza

Annual Event Highlights Contributions of IRP Postdoctoral Fellows

Monday, September 16, 2019

At lunchtime last Wednesday, the NIH Clinical Center’s FAES Terrace echoed with the joyful sounds of scientists nourishing their bodies and their brains. While those stopping by the annual NIH Research Festival poster session could be forgiven for making a beeline straight for the food — including the submissions to this year’s Scientific Directors’ baking competition — once their plates were full, they took advantage of the opportunity to satiate their scientific curiosity as well by checking out the dozens of posters on display.

Back to the Future of Brain Research

Friday, December 19, 2014

“Here is an image that is historical because it represents the era (1980s and 1990s) when drug receptors were first being localized in the brain," writes Miles Herkenham, Ph.D.