In this episode of Neuroscience Perspectives, we explore one of medicine’s most complex and pervasive challenges—chronic pain. Host John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, sits down with Paul Geha, MD, associate professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Neurology, and Dentistry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Together, they unpack the ways our brains perceive pain and the impact it can have on well-being.Dr. Geha shares his research into how brain connectivity and structure change in patients with chronic pain—and how these changes might help us predict who is at risk for conditions like low back pain or failed surgery outcomes. They discuss the psychological dimensions of pain, the challenges of diagnosis and treatment, and how research is charting a new course to change traditional injury-based models of pain.Could brain biomarkers reveal who is most vulnerable to chronic pain? Might psychedelics offer a new avenue for relief? And how can science better serve the millions suffering from pain that cannot be quantified in an exam or on a scan?

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🧠 Experts in this Episode:

Paul Geha, MD: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/112361971-paul-geha

John Foxe, PhD: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/112360965-john-j-foxe🧠

Labs Mentioned:

Geha Lab: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/geha

Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Lab: https://urmc.info/1RG