Neural pathway key to sensation of pleasant touch identified (Links to an external site)

Zhou-Feng Chen, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, alongside his team, identified a neural circuit and a neuropeptide in mice — a chemical messenger that carries signals between nerve cells — that transmit the sensation known as pleasant touch from the skin to the brain.

Saving a Life When No One Is Around (Links to an external site)

An implanted device that will automatically detect an overdose and give the opioid blocker naloxone is under development by Robert Gereau, Ph.D., of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and John Rogers, Ph.D., of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

COVID-19 infection linked to higher risk of neuropathy (Links to an external site)

Senior investigator Simon Haroutounian, PhD, chief of clinical research at the Washington University Pain Center alongside other researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that many people who tested positive for the coronavirus in the early months of the pandemic also experienced peripheral neuropathy during and following their bouts with COVID-19.

Department ranks #2 in NIH funding for second straight year

The Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis ranked #2 nationwide among anesthesiology departments in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).