Pain affects around one in five people worldwide, and for many, it becomes a long-term chronic condition that can impact every aspect of life. Yet our understanding of what pain is and how best to treat it is rapidly evolving.
Episode 11: Neuroscience and Pain of the University of Liverpool’s Original Ideas Podcast explores how neuroscience is transforming our understanding of pain and what this means for the millions of people living with it.
Host Gavin Freeborn interviews:
- Professor of Neuroscience Benedict Michael, Director of the Liverpool Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Centre (LINC), MRC Clinician Scientist and Honorary Consultant Neurologist, in Clinical Infection, Microbiology & Immunology, part of the Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.
- Clinical Professor of Nursing Michelle Briggs, in the School of AHPs and Nursing, part of the Institute of Population Health at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.
They discuss how pain is not just a physical sensation but a complex interaction between body, brain, and environment. LINC has brought around 200 interdisciplinary professionals together for joined up thinking, which is leading to advances in neuroscience research are reshaping our understanding of pain.
Professor Michael explains how the team at LINC is exploring the mechanisms that drive pain within the brain and nervous system. Professor Briggs discusses the non-pharmacological routes to help address chronic pain including social prescribing like joining a walking group, for example to help taper off opioid medication.
Both guests emphasise that tackling pain requires not just medical innovation but also cultural change recognising the lived experience of people with pain and challenging stigma.
Pain can be invisible. By understanding the neuroscience, we can make it visible in new ways and that can transform treatment and empathy alike.
This episode highlights how research at Liverpool is helping to rewrite the story of pain, bridging the gap between science and lived experience.
The Original Ideas podcast highlights our ground-breaking research and its real-world impact. The series explores different areas of our research activity, why it’s so important and how it can benefit society in the future. Host Gavin talks to inspiring academics, students, and key partners of the University who are striving to shape a better tomorrow.
Listen now to Original Ideas podcast Episode 11: Neuroscience and Pain
Available on Spotify, Apple and other podcasting platforms.
Find out more about the podcast and explore previous episodes, including Popular Music, Artificial Intelligence, Feminist Cities and Air Pollution.