The somatosensory system processes diverse types of information including mechanical,
thermal, and chemical signals. It has an essential role in sensory perception and body …

Due to the prevalence of chronic pain worldwide, there is an urgent need to improve pain
management strategies. While opioid drugs have long been used to treat chronic pain, their …

Sound—including music and noise—can relieve pain in humans, but the underlying neural
mechanisms remain unknown. We discovered that analgesic effects of sound depended on …

The primary motor cortex (M1) is involved in the control of voluntary movements and is
extensively mapped in this capacity. Although the M1 is implicated in modulation of pain, the …

Information is coded in the brain at multiple anatomical scales: locally, distributed across
regions and networks, and globally. For pain, the scale of representation has not been …

The lateral habenula (LHb) is a tiny structure that acts as a hub, relaying signals from the
limbic forebrain structures and basal ganglia to the brainstem modulatory area. Facilitated …

Itch is an unpleasant somatic sensation with the desire to scratch, and it consists of sensory,
affective, and motivational components. Acute itch serves as a critical protective mechanism …

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is located in the frontal part of the cingulate cortex, and
plays important roles in pain perception and emotion. The thalamocortical pathway is the …

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that
associated with, actual or potential tissue damage. The processing of pain involves …

Background Treatment of chronic pain is challenged by concurrent anxiety symptoms.
Dexmedetomidine is known to produce sedation, analgesia, and anxiolysis. However, the …