Pain Control and Detection

Current studies are exploring the use of light to manage pain, and how to characterize a person’s sense of pain using brain rhythms and behavioral models.

Current studies by FES investigators focusing on pain management are looking at two different areas.

One project is exploring the use of specifically applied photobiomodulation (pulses of light) to temporarily help relieve neuropathic pain. If further developed, this photobiomodulation (PBM) effect has exciting possibilities as an implantable device-based treatment for various chronic pain syndromes, including neuropathic pains. In summary, this project will expand fundamental understanding of PBM-induced axonal block with an eye toward translational devices suitable for the treatment of chronic pain.

Another project aims to investigate the correlation between brain rhythms and pain, and the causal mechanisms underlying these rhythms using novel behavioral models in rodents. Data generated from this proposal is expected to enhance the team’s understanding of the biomarker potential of brain rhythms for pain and potentially identify targets for therapeutic interventions in chronic pain conditions.