Home / Science / Scientists Find 'On Switch' for Chronic Pain
Scientists Find 'On Switch' for Chronic Pain
29 Jan
Summary
- A specific brain pathway may dictate if pain becomes chronic.
- Researchers identified a connection between two brain regions.
- Targeting this pathway reduced pain and nerve sensitivity in mice.
Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder have pinpointed a critical brain pathway involved in the persistence of chronic pain. The research focused on the connection between the caudal granular insular cortex (CGIC) and the primary somatosensory cortex, identifying how acute pain might transition into a long-term condition.
Through studies using mice with sciatic nerve injuries, researchers observed that the CGIC plays a significant role in signaling the spinal cord to maintain chronic pain, unlike its limited involvement in acute pain. When this pathway was inhibited, the mice experienced reduced pain and a decrease in allodynia, where touch becomes painful.
These findings, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, suggest that this CGIC pathway acts as a crucial decision-maker for pain chronicity. Silencing it prevented chronic pain from developing, and in ongoing cases, it led to pain dissipation. Further research is needed to confirm these results in humans, but the discovery opens avenues for developing targeted medications to eliminate chronic pain.
