Chronic Pain

Research Uncovers Neural Mechanism Behind Chronic Pain

A newly discovered mechanism in the brain may be responsible for chronic pain, according to researchers.

“Neuropathic pain is caused by long-term modifications of neuronal function in the peripheral nervous system, the spinal cord, and supraspinal areas,” said the study’s authors.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Chronic Pain Management: Nonpharmacologic Therapies
Researchers Discover New Method To Combat Chronic Pain
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Although functional changes in the forebrain are thought to contribute to the development of persistent pain, their significance and precise subcellular nature remain unexplored,” they said.

Using a mouse model, researchers from Berne University monitored for electrical fluctuations in neurons found in the limbic system. In the gyrus cinguli—normally associated with the interactions of pain and emotion—researchers found the neurons to be more excitable due to a down-regulation of an ion channel, which led to an increased number of nerve impulses in the cells instead of regulating the cell’s electrical properties. The brain perceives these impulses as pain.

To restore the ion channel’s function, the investigators identified and activated a receptor sensitive to serotonin that reduced the perception of pain. This, they hope, may eventually lead to the development of more efficient, effective pain medications.

The complete study is published in the March issue of Neuron.

-Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:

1. Santello M, Nevian T. Dysfunction of cortical dendritic integration in neuropathic pain reversed by serotoninergic neuromodulation. Neuron. 2015 March [epub ahead of print] doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.03.003.