This Is Your Brain On Pain

Powerful painkillers can often dispatch acute pain, but using them for chronic, persistent pain carries the risk of addiction. Nearly two million Americans have a substance abuse disorder stemming from prescribed opioids. So scientists are researching ways to treat pain without drugs. Journalist Yudhijit Bhattacharjee writes about them in National Geographic in "Scientists are Unraveling the Mysteries of Pain." Plus, University of Maryland neurobiologist Dr. Luana Colloca describes her research using virtual reality to manage chronic pain. For more information on this National Geographic article, visit this link. For more information on Dr. Luana Colloca's research at the University of Maryland, visit this link.