Back pain, migraines, arthritis, long-term concussion symptoms, complications following cancer treatment—these are just a few of the conditions linked to chronic pain, which affects 1 in 5 adults and for which medication is not always the answer.

Now, a new review study offers insight into how specific types of psychological treatment can help relieve this pain through physical changes in the brain.

The research article was published today in The Lancet. The study was led by Professor Lene Vase from the Department of Psychology at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University.