International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)

Ian Gilron, MD, MSc, FRCPC (Canada), will give his plenary lecture at the 2026 World Congress on Pain, covering the latest research on combination therapy for the management of pain. Register now: bit.ly/4qx0aOI

This week’s #PAIN Featured Image is Tan et al.’s experimental scheme for hemorphin quantification and pain correlation in sickle cell and wild-type mice, including pain level testing and LC-MS/MS analysis for targeted and untargeted peptide identification bit.ly/3Ooh98k

Congratulations to IASP's talented Publications Intern, Annie Griffith, for successfully defending and achieving her PhD from the University of Kentucky this week. Her thesis was, “Menstrual Cycle Phase Effects on Alcohol-Impaired Driving Performance and Risk Awareness.”

Can’t make it to #Philadelphia for @usasp.bsky.social’s annual meeting next month? Register now for virtual attendance to hear plenary sessions from @quanamadison.bsky.social, Dr. Jennifer Stinson, @vabraira.bsky.social, and Dr. Gregory Scherrer bit.ly/4tUJjZ5 #PRF

Han et al. present findings from 2 large and diverse US databases, All of Us and Epic Cosmos, indicating a higher pain prevalence among women in the United States. Learn more in #PainReports bit.ly/4rszL5W

How do you think scientists could solve the primary limitation in neuroscience, according to @suthanalab.bsky.social – a lack of cross-species dialogue? bit.ly/4qSs6gd #PRF @thetransmitter.bsky.social, Illustration by mariacorte.com

IASP will offer Cadaver Workshops on 26 October as part of the 2026 World Congress on Pain in Bangkok, Thailand. Each course provides hands‑on practice in interventional pain management and neuromodulation. bit.ly/4skTZ1E

In this week’s #PAIN Featured Image, Reichman et al. depict a conceptual model of pain mechanisms in dyspareunia. Signs and symptoms are within circles according to their associated pain mechanisms, whereas clinical conditions are around the periphery bit.ly/4qktkjV 

PR 23 Feb

Kazemipour et al. examined the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on attentional performance among patients with fibromyalgia and found attentional performance improved over time, regardless of the treatment group. Learn more in #PainReports bit.ly/3MxZsmq 

Koichi Noguchi, MD, PhD will present the 2026 World Congress on Pain keynote lecture, Molecular Histochemical Analysis of Neuroplasticity-Related Gene Expression in Pain Pathway. Register now: bit.ly/4qx0aOI

PRF 25 February 2026

Have you seen the recent result from Qin et al. in @cp-cellmetabolism.bsky.social that shows semaglutide protects cartilage in obesity-related osteoarthritis? Take a look at one of @khannalabuf.bsky.social’s #PRF #PapersoftheWeek #EditorsPick, today bit.ly/3ZKdowv

19 March Global Year Webinar:
Towards Precision Medicine in Neuropathic Pain 1: Using Randomised Trial Evidence to Uncover Individual Treatment Effects
Register: bit.ly/4cmt68P

PAIN Featured Image 20 Feb 2026

In this week’s #PAIN Featured Image, we highlight cover art inspired by Williams et al.’s study. This thematic map depicts relationships between 6 interrelated themes derived from women’s descriptions of their endometriosis-related pain. Learn more at bit.ly/46x4bv8

McPherson et al. find that low-frequency, submotor threshold intraspinal microstimulation leads to a lasting increase in the spatial spread of nociceptive sensory-evoked activity, including after spinal cord injury. Learn more in #PainReports bit.ly/4cpSnyz 

Ralf Baron, MD will present a keynote plenary lecture at the 2026 World Congress on Pain entitled, The Neuropathic Chameleon: We are Hot on the Scent. Register now to attend Dr. Baron’s keynote plenary lecture at the largest global gathering of pain professionals. bit.ly/4qx0aOI

PRF 16 February 2026

Have you seen Wang et al.’s study in @cp-neuron.bsky.social that systemically elucidates the organization and function of the spinal allodynia gate? Check out Qiufu Ma’s #PRF #PapersoftheWeek #EditorsPick today bit.ly/4kvtYK9

18 Feb Journal Club

Join #NeuPSIG and Courtney Bannerman 18 February to discuss Xu et al’s results in Nature that mitochondrial transfer from glia to neurons protects against peripheral neuropathy bit.ly/4tiPRQM #journalclub #PRF

Pain Featured Image 13 Feb 2026

In this week’s #PAIN Featured Image, Ciampi de Andrade et al. depict a diagnostic classification of pain that puts emphasis on the experiences, characteristics, and traits of patients with pain. Learn more at bit.ly/4qCKHgd 

Did you know @iasp.bsky.social’s #GlobalYear2026 is about neuropathic pain? Listen to the newest episode of Pain Exchange, featuring President Andrew Rice, @lampertlab.bsky.social, and @neiloconnell.bsky.social speaking about the goals of the campaign and more bit.ly/49S5XsZ

Feature Image PR 11 Feb

Szmerling et al. assert that a multisite, multidisciplinary analgesic stewardship program may lead to better opioid prescribing at discharge and potentially clinically meaningful reductions in readmission. Learn more in #PainReports bit.ly/45FHpRv 

How did the labs of Drs. Angelika Lampert and Shreejoy Tripathy finally identify the long-studied sleeping nociceptors (Published in Cell 2026 Feb 4) and why are these cells so important? Checkout PRF Pain Clips at painresearchforum.org to learn more! @iasp.bsky.social #pain #ionchannels

Join @iasp.bsky.social’s #NeuPSIG and Courtney Bannerman on 18 Feb to discuss Xu et al’s results in @nature.com that mitochondrial transfer from glia to neurons protects against peripheral neuropathy bit.ly/46hu5D2 Register here bit.ly/4tiPRQM #journalclub #PRF

SIG Poster Abstracts Awards

Apply for IASP SIG Awards and Travel Grants for the 2026 World Congress on Pain.
Submit your Poster Abstract by 15 February and learn more about available awards and application details on the World Congress website. bit.ly/4rtXySt

PRF 13 February

Do you know the differences between pruritogen-induced responses in glabrous skin of mice? Check out Wu et al.’s assessment in @journals.sagepub.com’s Molecular Pain to find out more bit.ly/4kkmKsf #PRF #PapersoftheWeek #EditorsPick 

This is the final week to submit poster abstracts for the #2026WorldCongressonPain. Finalize your abstracts and submit your posters by 15 February. bit.ly/3XHoyB2

Pain Featured Image 6 Feb 2026

In this week’s #PAIN Featured Image, Mørch et al. depict the computational model used to design their Sodium channel Excitability Nociceptor Test, which identifies alterations in selected subtypes of sodium channels in small fibers of awake humans bit.ly/3Z7uhRj

PR Featured Image 4 Feb

Ishikawa et al. find that offset analgesia reflects stochastic integration processes of prediction and observation with noise filtering for robust pain perception, offering a revision of pain perception theories. Learn more in #PainReports bit.ly/4aktJhw

This Thursday, Feb 5, 2026 at 11 AM ET--IASP and PRF Present Dr. Staja Booker, PhD, RN, FAAN and WellPower CEO Candace McMillon-Dantley in a webinar on "The Power Over Pain Empowerment Jubilee: A Novel Community-Engaged Event to Conquer Pain". Free but register to get zoom info. @iasp.bsky.social

IASP leadership visited Bangkok to prepare for the #2026WorldCongressonPain (26–30 Oct 2026). They toured the BITEC venue, rode transit, and sampled Thai cuisine to understand how to make your visit seamless and enjoyable. Early Bird registration is open:
bit.ly/3NaKdjc

PRF 2 February 2026

Have you seen this #systematicreview in @natmentalhealth.nature.com where Steininger et al. find nature exposure reduces self-reported pain at small-to-moderate levels? Check out this #EditorsPick from @drjerinmathew.bsky.social in this week’s #PRF #PapersoftheWeek bit.ly/4q3Y6gU