Pain Research Center

The NIH Pain Research Center has many resources available to share with researchers in the NIH Intramural Research Program. We welcome intramural researchers to contact us to discuss potential collaborations.

NIH Intramural Staff (only) may request use of resources through an online request form .

View some of the tools and approaches we can share.

• Dedicated testing rooms in outpatient clinics
• Quantitative sensory testing assessment to identify pain threshold and tolerance
• MRI-compatible thermal pain testing
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation
• Cold pressor/cold water bath
• Electric shock stimulation
• Pressure sensation (algometer; custom inflatable cuff; custom scale test)
• Mechanosensation (von frey filaments)
• Mechanosensation (punctate touch/von Frey; dynamic touch/brush; vibrotactile testing; touch discrimination/two point)
• Proprioception (algometer, grasping)
• Oral sensation
• Neuroimaging (fMRI, fNIRS, EEG)
• Itch testing using pruritic substances
• Experimental allodynia/hyperalgesia testing
• Autonomic measurement (skin conductance, impedance cardiography, electrocardiography, respiration, pulse plethysmography, pupillometry)
• Consultation about experimental design for sensory testing and assessments
• Psychometric questionnaires and assessments