Research summary
Chronic pain affects approximately one third of the population, with staggering costs to both patients and society. In fact, pain is the number one reason why people consult health-care practitioners. As Canada Research Chair in Brain Imaging of Experimental and Chronic Pain, Dr. Mathieu Roy aims to understand how the brain produces the subjective experience of pain.
He and his research team are studying the role of the mesolimbic dopamine reward system in pain perception and pain-related behaviours. They are using experimental techniques to shed light on the role of motivational circuits in chronic pain and how they can explain the pain-reducing effects of non-pharmacological interventions, such as exercise, music or distraction. Roy’s team is also investigating how the brain makes decisions about pain. Ultimately, their findings will advance our understanding of how pain is produced in the brain so we can offer better treatments.