Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The Head of NDCN Professor Irene Tracey talks to Radio 4's Jim Al-Khalili about imaging pain in the brain

Listen on BBC iPlayer    

      Pain, as we know, is highly personal. Some can cope with huge amounts, while others reel in agony over a seemingly minor injury. Though you might feel the stab of pain in your stubbed toe or sprained ankle, it is actually processed in the brain.    

      That is where Irene Tracey, Nuffield Professor of Anaesthetic Science at Oxford University, has been focussing her attention. Known as the Queen of Pain, she has spent the past two decades unravelling the complexities of this puzzling sensation.    

      She goes behind the scenes, as it were, of what happens when we feel pain - scanning the brains of her research subjects while subjecting them to a fair amount of burning, prodding and poking.    

      Her work is transforming our understanding, revealing how our emotions influence our experience of pain, how chronic pain develops and even when consciousness is present in the brain.

Similar stories

New insights into chemogenetic designer drugs to enhance our study of behaviour

A collaborative team of researchers in DPAG and Pharmacology led by Dr Lukas Krone have uncovered striking new data demonstrating that two widely used designer drugs used to turn populations of neurons on and off in the brain cause unexpected effects on sleep. These results demonstrate a critical need to improve chemogenetic approaches in behavioural studies.

Ensuring LGBTQI+ people are treated fairly in mental health data

Andrey Kormilitzin outlines a new participatory study aimed at improving AI to take account of LGBTQI+ people so that their needs are better met by mental health services.

Ashmolean turns red for World Encephalitis Day

Our researchers are tackling the devastating brain condition encephalitis.

Community play packs inspire families to be more playful at home

A project led by Alex Hendry working with Oxford Brookes has engaged with parents and early years practitioners in a bid to help families spend more time playing with their children.

Major trials to test effectiveness of cannabidiol on psychosis

Global study involving three clinical trials will investigate the effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) in treating people with psychosis or psychotic symptoms, thanks to a multi-million pound grant to Oxford University.