Pain and Neuroscience

Research

Pain research at McGill is ranked amongst the best in the world based on its critical mass of exceptional pain researchers and on a tradition of outstanding accomplishments in the neurosciences. The legacy of Ron Melzack’s 1965 gate-control theory of pain continues to this day with McGill pain studies researchers publishing in the most influential international journals.

Knowledge translation goals

Our research will: (1) help in understanding the physiological basis of a number of unexplained chronic pain conditions; (2) provide new therapies for chronic and acute pain conditions; (3) provide novel animal models for pain conditions such as neuropathic pain, migraines, complex regional pain syndrome, functional abdominal pain, interstitial cystitis, back pain, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia; (4) help explain the influence of genetic, environmental, and dietary factors in the development of chronic pain; and (5) understand the influence of psychological factors on pain.

Researchers

	Luda Diatchenko Pain Genetics Human Molecular Genetics Chronic Pain Conditions
	Mervyn Gornitsky Facial pain Saliva Scleroderma Xerostomia
	Richard Hovey Qualitative research Patient centred care Chronic illness Medical Education / Communication
	Arkady Khoutorsky Dysregulation of translational control and the development of chronic pain Extracellular matrix (ECM) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the regulation of spinal cord plasticity Dysregulation of integrated stress response (ISR) pathway and pathophysiology of Fragile X syndrome
	Marc-Olivier Martel Acute pain Chronic pain Prescription opioid misuse & addiction Biopsychosocial factors
	Carol Meloto Orofacial pain Pain genetics Translational research Randomized clinical trials
	Étienne Vachon-Presseau Coming soon
	Ana Velly Chair of Orofacial Pain Working Group of the Network for Canadian Oral Health Research (NCOHR) Pain Acute to chronic pain transition Biomarkers Opioids Epidemiology Randomized clinical trials Pharmacoepidemiology Statistical Analysis
	Ji Zhang Glial cell biology Nervous system Immune response Pain Behaviour