Kevin A Keay

Mapping the anatomy of placebo analgesia The identification of somatotopy in brainstem pain modulatory pathways could help treat chronic pain

Thanks to @massih.bsky.social for inviting me to co-author this commentary @science.org Mapping the anatomy of placebo analgesia | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Somatotopic organization of brainstem analgesic circuitry | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Conditioned Pain Modulation, Placebo and Offset Analgesia: Rates of Behavioural Expression of Inhibitory, Nonresponse and Facilitatory Pain Modulatory Effects Background The brain is capable of powerfully inhibiting perceived pain intensity. Experimentally, three pain modulating phenomena have been well explored: placebo analgesia (PA), offset analgesia (...

Conditioned Pain Modulation, Placebo and Offset Analgesia: Rates of Behavioural Expression of Inhibitory, Nonresponse and Facilitatory Pain Modulatory Effects - Crawford - 2025 - European Journal of Pain - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

A history of injury enhances affective and sensory responses to predator threat by sensitizing corticosterone release through TRPA1 receptor signaling Baumbach et al. use a pain-priming model to show that a history of injury amplifies predator-odor (TMT)-evoked fear and mechanical hypersensitivity that lasts for over 6 months. These responses depend...

A history of injury enhances affective and sensory responses to predator threat by sensitizing corticosterone release through TRPA1 receptor signaling: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...

Maternal immune activation during the lactational period alters offspring behavior, reproductive development, and immune function in mice Exposure to infection during early life can lead to lasting neurodevelopmental changes. Animal models of maternal immune activation (MIA) typically as…

Our new #OpenAccess Hormones & Behavior paper has dropped, featuring undergrad Jailyn. Maternal immune activation during the lactational period alters offspring behavior, reproductive development, & immune function in mice: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #OpenScience #BrainResearch #NeuroSky

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Neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation Liu et al. reveal distinct subcortical pathways from the superior colliculus to the amygdala and insula cortical pathways that govern two visual escape behaviors in two groups of mice, offering new in...

Neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

Pharmacotherapy and non-invasive neuromodulation for neuropathic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis There remains a substantial unmet need for effective and safe treatments for neuropathic pain. The Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group aimed to up…

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Direct comparisons of neural activity during placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia between humans and rats Communications Biology - A novel framework for cross-species analysis reveals the conserved and species-specific neural circuitry underlying placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia.

rdcu.be/egC1Z Our study explores how placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia affects pain in humans and rats. Using c-Fos in rats and fMRI in humans, we report significant common brain activity patterns. Our findings validate animal models for placebo research. #painresearch #painpapers

2025 APS

Register for the @Australian Pain Society 45th Annual Scientific Meeting, 13 – 16 April 2025, in Melbourne, Australia. Experience this beautiful city and a diverse program of pain management research, education, theory, and practice. Learn more and register: bit.ly/3R5xyN1

Cortex, brain. Neurons (NeuN, magenta), axon initial segments (Ankyrin-G, green), nuclei (DAPI, blue)

🌷 Happy National Flower Day 🌷

Cortex, brain. Neurons (NeuN, magenta), axon initial segments (Ankyrin-G, green), nuclei (DAPI, blue)

#FluorescenceFriday #nationalflowerday #painneuroscience

Body donor programs in Australia and New Zealand: Current status and future opportunities - anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.10…
We wish to thank the donors and their families whose altruism enables the continuation of #anatomy #education and #research including this study.

Don't miss the first SoMs Neuroscience Theme Meeting for 2025 - Tuesday 18 Feb with two fabulous speakers, Asheeta Prasad , and @nataliematosin.bsky.social
⬇️ @kevinkeay.bsky.social @sydneyuni.bsky.social

Trigeminal nerve microstructure is linked with neuroinflammation and brainstem activity in migraine Using multimodal imaging, Tohyama et al. show that individuals with migraine have white matter damage in the trigeminal nerve. This damage is associated wi

New study with combined 7 Tesla MRI imaging and PET scan finds altered structures of nerves and neuroinflammation in migraine patients. Vey robust design that includes a control group and same cases as right/left side dominant migraines as controls.
#painresearch
#neuroskyence
#physio
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Are you interested in neuropathic #PainResearch #painscience? 🧪🧠? Get your abstract in now to join us for #NeuPSIG2025 in Berlin! neupsigcongress.org

Evidence for glial reactivity using positron-emission tomography imaging of translocator Protein-18 kD [TSPO] in both sham and nerve-injured rats in a preclinical model of orofacial neuropathic pain Chronic neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition that results from damage to the nervous system. Current treatments are largely ineffective, with …

We show, glial changes in the peripheral nerve and brain in both nerve-injured and sham-injured rats using PET in a preclinical model of neuropathic pain readily translated for human #painresearch studies. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Activation of the proton-sensing GPCR, GPR65 on fibroblast-like synoviocytes contributes to inflammatory joint pain | PNAS Inflammation is associated with localized acidosis, however, attributing physiological and pathological roles to proton-sensitive receptors is chal...

Riding the year out on a high ✨ - latest paper out now in @pnas.org! ☺️ 🙏

Here we describe a role for the proton-sensing GPCR, GPR65 in mediating joint pain from fibroblast-like synoviocytes!

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#PainResearch #Neuroskyence

More on this work below 👇 🧵 [1/10]

Dr James Kang on chronic pain and the brain's response to nerve injury | Research Bytes Bite-size findings from emerging and mid-career researchers at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Medicine and Health

Happy to share a recent podcast featuring awesome postdoc Dr James Kang from our lab talking with the Executive Dean of our Faculty about his recent work shows.acast.com/65b6ec6b1581...

Distinct circuits and molecular targets of the paraventricular hypothalamus decode visceral and somatic pain Li et al. identify the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) as a pain sorting center that distinctly processes visceral and somatic pain. PVH neural ensembles activated by visceral and somatic pain exhibit unique transcriptional profiles and projection patterns, thus providing evidence for clinically targeted treatment of visceral and somatic pain.

The paraventricular hypothalamus processes visceral and somatic pain in distinct ways: Visceral pain neurons express P2X3R and target the lateral septal nucleus, while somatic pain neurons express VIPR2 and project to the zona incerta, aiding targeted pain therapies.
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

diagrams of Behavioral assays tested

1/✨ New paper in #eNeuro! We looked at how dominance behaviors vary across mouse strains—turns out, it’s not one-size-fits-all!
Comparing CD1 & C57 male mice, we found strain-specific dominance behaviors that could change how we study social hierarchy in the lab…🧵
Paper here: tinyurl.com/bdeuf6s9

YouTube video by Cambridge Philosophical Society Pain: Why does it exist, how does it work and how can we more effectively treat it?

Was delighted to give Cambridge Philosophical Society’s AV Hill Lecture, “Pain: Why does it exist, how does it work & how can we more effectively treat it?”

An intro. to pain & overview of some of the exciting things people in our lab are doing!

#PainResearch #Neuroskyence

youtu.be/6dGjfbaRIfk

And me too please?

A vagus nerve dominant tetra-synaptic ascending pathway for gastric pain processing - Nature Communications Gastric pain has limited treatment options and the nociceptive ascending pathway remains largely unclear. Here, the authors identify a glutamatergic tetra-synaptic NTS–LPB–PVT–PL circuit that provides...

Gastric pain ascending pathway revealed: A glutamatergic tetra-synaptic brain circuit links the stomach to the brain via the vagus nerve in mice, offering new targets for relieving visceral pain!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

And now more from our great collaborator Prof LukeHenderson’s lab. Thomas Love shows fantastic 7T MRI studies identifying discrete brainstem nuclei participating in offset analgesia. Nice !!! #painresearch

And the next speaker is Molly from the lab talking about a very exciting finding looking at microglial morphology in the PAG in a preclinical model of trigeminal neuralgia… so proud of what she has achieved. Future #painresearch scientist.

Starting the day with our undergraduate Honours research presentations. Darcey kicks off by reporting on her study investigating fear avoidance and its neural correlates in a preclinical model of trigeminal neuropathy. Awesome work with Dr James_wm_Kang #painresearch

Lateral lamina V projection neuron axon collaterals connect sensory processing across the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Lateral lamina V projection neuron axon collaterals connect sensory processing across the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord

First post to bsky eep.. Work from my PhD was (finally) accepted: www.nature.com/articles/s41.... The main findings: as spinal projection neurons axons ascend to the brain they are influencing spinal circuits, adding a layer of complexity to their role and function locally. More details below...

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YouTube video by Cambridge Development & Alumni Relations Pathways to pain: how to cure, not cause!

The talk that I gave for the Cambridge University Alumni Festival back in September is now up online - Pathways to Pain: How to cure not cause! #PainResearch #neuroskyence www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qjF...