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Focus on Pain Research
In 2018 the International Association for the Study of Pain revised the definition of pain to "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage." Pain is a critical national health problem with a tremendous clinical burden. Millions of Americans suffer from daily chronic pain and it is the main reason people seek medical attention or are out of work. NINDS supports ongoing efforts to understand the basic science of acute and chronic pain and develop new tools and treatments for pain patients. Additional general information about pain can be found at the NINDS Pain information page.
NINDS is the lead institute for pain research at NIH and supports basic, translational, and clinical pain research to develop new and innovative advances in the pain field. NINDS leads the Executive Committee of the NIH Pain Consortium, which includes 21 Institutes and Centers. The NIH Pain Consortium identifies, coordinates, and supports pain research initiatives, activities, and strategic planning at NIH. NINDS also serves on the Executive Committee of the NIH Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, a group whose goal is to coordinate all pain research efforts within HHS and across other Federal Agencies
Projects on pain research within NINDS’ mission do not need to be submitted to a pain-titled funding announcement and can be submitted to appropriate parent announcements. Please see a list of NINDS parent announcements for open funding opportunities.
Not sure what funding opportunity might be right for you? Try NIH Matchmaker
NINDS strongly encourages investigators to discuss their research interests with NINDS program staff prior to submitting their grant application. Visit the Find you NINDS Program Officer webpage to find the Program Officer most appropriate for your project.
Pain conditions within NINDS’ mission include, but are not limited to:
Neuropathic pain not associated with cancer treatments or diabetes
Post-stroke pain
Amputee pain
Painful neuromas
Pain following traumatic brain injury
Pain associated with spinal cord injury
Pain associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
Pain associated with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease
Chronic overlapping pain conditions
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
Cellular and molecular research on the mechanisms of pain
Central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) mechanisms of the perception and modulation of pain
Neurobiology of headache and migraine
Utilize human tissue to characterize the functional genetic elements, epigenetic signatures, and molecular/cellular pathways that contribute to pain
Development and validation of animal models of pain
Biomarker signatures of pain conditions and pain chronification
Development of translational neural devices to treat pain
Identify and validate novel therapeutic targets for pain
Development of non-addictive pain therapeutics
Fellowships and career development awards for pain scientists and clinical researchers
For examples of NINDS funded pain research grants please visit NIH Reporter.
NIH Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories
Research/Disease Areas*
FY 2018
(Actual)
FY 2019^
(Actual)
FY 2020
(Actual)
FY 2021
(Actual)
FY 2022
(Actual)
Pain Research
$605
$1,011
$846
$867
$978
^The FY 2019 actuals include obligations of over $400 million from FY 2018 carryover to support the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. These amounts, combined with obligations from FY 2019 annual appropriations, have a significant impact on Opioids, Opioids Misuse & Addiction, and Pain Research categories. This is a one-time spike in FY 2019 actuals, and FY 2020 actuals are proportionately lower since they reflect a single year of funding.
*Dollars in millions and rounded To learn more about this NIH Investment, please visit the Categorical Spending site and enter "Pain Research".
Research involving headache and migraine falls within the mission of NINDS. Funding for migraine research increased 43% from 2020 to 2021.
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Line graph showing annual support level in millions for Migraines research across NIH from FY2014-FY2021
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Line graph showing annual support level in millions for Headaches research across NIH from FY2014-FY2021
Research/Disease Areas*
FY 2019
(Actual)
FY 2020
(Actual)
FY 2021
(Actual)
Headaches
$40
$42
$47
Migraines
$28
$28
$40
*Dollars in millions and rounded To learn more about this NIH Investment, please visit the Categorical Spending site and enter "Headaches" or "Migraines".
Sharing Pain Research Data:
NINDS strongly encourages researchers who receive funding from the Institute to use these common data elements (CDEs) in their clinical research.
