National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health

Información en Español

Site Menu

Health Topics A-Z

Selected Research Results by Date

NCCIH funds a wide variety of research studies, primarily focusing on three areas: mind and body practices, natural products, and pain. We also conduct research at the National Institutes of Health laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland.

This page provides plain language summaries of a few of the studies that NCCIH has supported or conducted. For more information, see this full list of published NCCIH-funded research studies in PubMed.

Two different groups of parabrachial neurons, one expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide (green) and the other expressing substance P (red). Source: Arnab Barik, Chesler Laboratory, NCCIH
New Study Identifies a Neural Circuit Involved in the Response to Painful Heat
A newly identified pathway involving the spinal cord and two parts of the brainstem plays a key role in behavioral responses to an uncomfortable heat stimulus, according to a study in mice from the National Center for (November 2018)
NHIS children
National Survey Reveals Increased Use of Yoga and Meditation Among U.S. Children
New NHIS data show higher use rates of meditation, yoga by U.S. children. (November 2018)
adult NHIS
National Survey Reveals Increased Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractic Care Among U.S. Adults
New National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data show rising use of yoga, meditation, chiropractic by U.S. adults. (November 2018)
PIEZO2 Ion Channel Presents New Target for Pain Research
New NCCIH-supported research suggests the PIEZO2 mechanoreceptor is essential for light touch detection after injury in mice and humans, and that PIEZO2 antagonists may provide a new avenue for relieving a variety of... (October 2018)
Pain
Defining the Prevalence of Chronic Pain in the United States
This Research Spotlight highlights new data suggesting that in 2016 nearly 20 percent of U.S. adults had chronic pain and 8 percent had high-impact chronic pain (pain that limited at least one major life activity). (September 2018)
pregnant women being examined by doctor
Lifestyle Interventions May Limit Weight Gain During Pregnancy in Overweight or Obese Women
In a new study, behavioral lifestyle intervention programs that focused primarily on diet and physical activity limited weight gain during pregnancy in overweight or obese women. (September 2018)
woman in pain
Understanding the Influence of the Experimental Setting on Pain Ratings
In this NCCIH-funded study, researchers suggest the experimental setting influences how study participants assess painful stimuli; these findings may help researchers design studies to better understand the mechanisms... (August 2018)
Prevalence and Profile of High Impact Chronic Pain
Almost 11 million U.S. adults have “High Impact Chronic Pain.”  (August 2018)
New Study Links Mindfulness, Brain Changes, and Pain Sensitivity
People who are naturally more mindful report less pain and show lower activation of a specific region of the brain in response to an unpleasant heat stimulus, according to a new study supported by the National Center (July 2018)
After an injury, neurons undergo genetic changes that are initiated by DLK and lead to pain and nerve damage. Over time (left to right), certain genes become more active.
Study Explores the Molecular Basis of Chronic Pain Following Nerve Injury
Researchers identifiy a key molecule, dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK), that controls pathways leading to chronic neuropathic pain following nerve injury. (July 2018)