Announcements

New Tools Will Help Guide Clinical Researchers

If you are a current or prospective clinical researcher, I think you’ll be interested to know that NCCIH recently added two new protocol templates to the Clinical Research Toolbox, our web-based information repository for investigators and staff involved in NCCIH-funded clinical research.

Study Explains How the Amygdala Regulates Pain

A new study conducted in mice explores the previously unknown role of the central amygdala (region of the brain associated with emotional processes) in upgrading and downgrading pain signals in the brain. The study, which was conducted by researchers at the Division of Intramural Research at NCCIH, was published in the journal Cell Reports.

Rat Study Suggests Dietary Polyphenol Supplementation Has Potential To Relieve Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Pain

Findings from a new study conducted in rats suggest that dietary supplementation with polyphenols (naturally occurring compounds found in plant-derived foods) may ease back pain associated with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. IVD is a common condition characterized by the breakdown of one or more of the discs that separate the bones of the spine, causing pain in the back or neck and often in the legs and arms. The study was funded in part by NCCIH and was published in PLoS One.