Thinking, Sensing & Behaving
Aging
Brain Development
Childhood & Adolescence
Diet & Lifestyle
Emotions, Stress & Anxiety
Hearing
Language
Learning & Memory
Movement
Pain
Sleep
Smell
Taste
Thinking & Awareness
Touch
Vision
See All
Diseases & Disorders
Addiction
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Cancer
Childhood Disorders
Epilepsy
Immune System Disorders
Injury
Mental Health
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neurological Disorders A-Z
Therapies
See All
Brain Anatomy & Function
Anatomy
Body Systems
Cells & Circuits
Evolution
Genes & Molecules
See All
Neuroscience in Society
The Arts & the Brain
For Educators
Law, Economics & Ethics
Neuroscience in the News
Supporting Research
Tech & the Brain
See All
In the Lab
Animals in Research
BRAIN Initiative
Meet the Researcher
Neuro-technologies
Tools & Techniques
See All
Explore
3D Brain
Core Concepts
For Educators
Ask an Expert
Glossary
The Brain Facts Book
About Us
MyAccount
For Educators
Log in
Thinking, Sensing & Behaving
Aging
Brain Development
Childhood & Adolescence
Diet & Lifestyle
Emotions, Stress & Anxiety
Hearing
Language
Learning & Memory
Movement
Pain
Sleep
Smell
Taste
Thinking & Awareness
Touch
Vision
See All
Diseases & Disorders
Addiction
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Cancer
Childhood Disorders
Epilepsy
Immune System Disorders
Injury
Mental Health
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neurological Disorders A-Z
Therapies
See All
Brain Anatomy & Function
Anatomy
Body Systems
Cells & Circuits
Evolution
Genes & Molecules
See All
Neuroscience in Society
The Arts & the Brain
For Educators
Law, Economics & Ethics
Neuroscience in the News
Supporting Research
Tech & the Brain
See All
In the Lab
Animals in Research
BRAIN Initiative
Meet the Researcher
Neuro-technologies
Tools & Techniques
See All
Pain
Related Topics
Injury
Touch
Therapies
Pain and the Brain
While unpleasant, pain exists for a reason: it directs our attention to an injury so we can take care of it and prevent further damage.
BrainFacts/SfN
5 min.
Filter
Topic
Drugs
(
4
)
Exercise
(
2
)
Opioids
(
2
)
Pain
(
52
)
Migraine
(
7
)
Content Type
Article
(
28
)
Image
(
5
)
Interactive
(
5
)
Lesson Plan
(
2
)
Video
(
13
)
Web Tool
(
1
)
Series
Ask an Expert
(
10
)
Brain Awareness Video Contest
(
1
)
Brain Primer
(
1
)
For Educators
(
4
)
For the Classroom
(
4
)
Image of the Week
(
5
)
Research and Discoveries
(
1
)
Roundup
(
6
)
Grade Level
Grades 3 - 5
(
1
)
Grades 6 - 8
(
6
)
Grades 9 - 12
(
40
)
All ages
(
8
)
Core Concept
How Research Benefits Human Health
(
24
)
How Neurons Communicate
(
23
)
Your Complex Brain
(
14
)
How Your Brain Processes Information
(
11
)
The Source of Curiosity
(
4
)
How Experience Shapes Your Brain
(
3
)
Your selections:
Pain
The Body’s Pain Control System
Studies of the body’s own pain-control system demonstrated the existence of naturally occurring opioids — the endorphins.
BrainFacts/SfN
Treating Pain
Medical science offers us a number of different ways to dull or treat pain.
BrainFacts/SfN
Sending and Receiving Pain and Messages
Processing information from the sensory systems is one of many functions of the brain. Such information is often the first step in other brain activities, including learning and retaining knowledge.
BrainFacts/SfN
Nonclassical Brain Communicators
The brain uses some unconventional means to communicate.
BrainFacts/SfN
First
Previous
1
2
3
4
5
3D Brain
An interactive brain map that you can rotate in a three-dimensional space.
Interact with the Brain