These are the details from the FPRF Symposium presentation regarding a potential rescue medication for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) breakthrough pain. Lightning Talk Overview: Dr. Stephen Bart (Vanderbilt Health) discussed a novel approach: combining guanfacine (usually used for high blood pressure and ADHD) and lidocaine (nerve block) as a nasal spray to help TN patients quickly
Highlights Automated Pain Measurement: Dr. Basbaum's lab developed an automated, machine-learning-based system (DeepLabCut) to objectively track and quantify pain-related behaviors in mice, enhancing the accuracy and reproducibility of results. Model Relevance: The FRICT-ION mouse model shows carbamazepine (a standard TN treatment) reverses pain symptoms, validating the model's relevance to human TN. Novel Drug Findings: Alpha-2A
Here are the main takeaways from the co-presentation by Dr. Donald Nixdorf and Dr. Suzie Bergman: 1. Diagnostic Challenges Facial pain can be caused by TN (a nerve condition) or TMD (muscle/joint issues), and the symptoms often overlap. Wrong diagnosis can lead to inappropriate treatments—dental, medical, or surgical—that may not provide relief. The 'telephone game'
FPRF Symposium 2026: Genetics of Trigeminal Neuralgia – Highlights Key Insights from Dr. Kim Burchiel’s Presentation Dr. Kim Burchiel and his multi-center team (US, Canada, UK) presented new genetic findings about trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Their research found that while TN symptoms (sharp, electric-shock-like facial pain) appear similar, the causes may be different: Older patients (>45)
Once a year, the Facial Pain Research Foundation (FPRF) brings together the world's leading scientists, clinicians, patient advocates and funders working developing improved diagnosis and therapies/cures for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and other facial pain conditions. The 2026 meeting was held in Chicago and lasted three days. The first evening was a chance for individuals
The Facial Pain Research Foundation (FPRF) announces the appointment of Dr. Bruce Bloom as its executive director. Dr. Bloom brings extensive experience in healthcare innovation, patient advocacy, and biomedical research. He joins at a pivotal moment as the Foundation expands its efforts to accelerate research, advance therapeutic development, and improve the lives of people living
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The University of California San Francisco is working with the Facial Pain Research Foundation to identify patients with active trigeminal neuralgia (TN) pain to participate in a pilot clinical trial of noninvasive High Frequency repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (HF-rTMS). Low frequency TMS has shown no pain benefit in TN, but there is encouraging but inconclusive
Previous studies have found structural and functional abnormalities in brain structures in Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) patients compared to healthy controls. Studies have also examined aberrations in brain networks in TN patients. This is the first study to investigate causal interactions in brain networks and relate these interactions to the level of TN pain. The aim
