Stephen Bruehl

August 24, 2023

Predicting postop opioid use

VUMC study finds that preoperative patient characteristics can predict daily opioid use at six months after surgery, suggesting opportunities for development of electronic risk-stratification algorithms.

By Paul Govern

August 24, 2020

Land of plenty (of opioids)

Surgical patients are being given more opioids than they need for postsurgical pain management, raising the risk of addiction.

By Paul Govern

August 5, 2020

Study finds aerobic exercise spurs endorphins, relieves low back pain

Six weeks of aerobic exercise can lead to sustained increases in endogenous opioid function and significant relief for chronic low back pain, according to a randomized controlled trial by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Stephen Bruehl, PhD, and colleagues, reported in Pain.

By Paul Govern

February 28, 2019

Personalized pain management

Understanding how natural brain chemicals with pain-relieving properties interact with administered opioids may guide personalized approaches for pain management.

By Niyati Vachharajani

July 7, 2016

VUMC symposium to explore risks, impact of opioids

The risks of taking opioids during pregnancy or to manage chronic pain, and the impact this frequently prescribed class of pain relievers has on the adolescent brain will be discussed Wednesday, July 13, during a “bedside-to-bench” symposium at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Bill Snyder

January 10, 2014

A pain in the … genes

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that variation in the gene encoding the potassium channel GIRK1 plays a role in modulating human pain perception.

By Leigh MacMillan

September 6, 2012

BioVU reaches new benchmark in DNA samples

This month BioVU logged in its 150,000th unique genetic sample. It is now the world’s largest collection of human DNA linked to searchable, electronic health information.