01.10.2026

What is pain — and where does it actually happen in the brain?

Prof. Ben Seymour presented on the 'Mystery of Pain' at the University of Oxford's Meeting Minds Alumni weekend.

At the University of Oxford’s Meeting Minds weekend held on 18-20th Sept, Prof. Ben Seymour (pictured) presented one of the most intriguing mysteries in neuroscience: the nature and origins of pain.

Pain is perhaps the most immediate and salient experience we have, yet its underlying mechanisms remain remarkably difficult to pin down. Ben traced the story of pain back through evolution, explored the future: how we think about the brain, whether machines could one day experience pain, and how a deeper understanding of pain could ultimately help us achieve one of medicine’s great goals — treatments that selectively abolish pain.

The talk was fully attended, with an audience including Prof Sir Chris Whitty, and it was a fascinating reminder of just how many unanswered questions remain around something that is so fundamental to being human.

Marysa Dowling (pictured), our artist for our ‘What We Carry: Living with Pain’ project, was also there. The project explores the experiences and stories we hold around pain and the ways those experiences shape our lives. Hearing Ben approach pain from the perspective of neuroscience and evolution offered a fascinating complement to the human stories at the heart of the work.

Perhaps this is what makes pain such a compelling subject: we all know what it feels like, but we are still trying to understand what it actually is.