Researchers discover how sound reduces pain in mice
image: Sound reduces pain in mice by decreasing the activity of neurons in the brain’s auditory cortex (green and magenta) that project to the thalamus. see again Credit: Wenjie Zhou An international team of scientists have identified a neural mechanism through which sound dulls pain in mice. The findings, which could inform the development of safer methods for treating pain, are published in Science . The study was led by researchers at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR); China University of Science and Technology, Hefei; and Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. NIDCR is part of the National Institutes of Health. “We needed more effective methods to manage acute and chronic pain, and that started with gaining a better understanding of the basic neural processes that regulate pain,” said NIDCR Director Rena D’Souza, DDS, Ph.D. “By uncovering the circuits that mediate the pain-reducing effec