The headline is broadly defensible, but the qualifications matter. Effect sizes vary by population, the strongest claims rest on shorter trials, and credible voices push back on how it's typically framed.
And the ways in which dopamine can modulate pain, and in this case, this particular study transform our experience of pain. Maybe even to something that's pleasureful is not mysterious. It's really through the activation of brainstem neurons that communicate with areas of our body, that deploy things like immune cells.
Every Sunday: the week’s new conflicts and verdict changes — and nothing else.
Native comments, Twitter mentions, and Reddit threads about this claim — surfaced together so the conversation isn't fragmented across platforms.
Bookmarking — the dossier-vs-overview split is the right call. Most of the time I want overview; sometimes I want receipts.
Would love a "what would change this verdict" RSS feed. Sign me up if it exists.
The dopamine system can have powerful effects on the inflammation system. And it doesn't do this through mysterious ways. It does this by interacting through the brainstem and some of the neurons that innervate the spleen and other areas of the body, that deploy cells to go combat infection, inflammation, and pain.