Chronic pain is a condition that is always associated with unpleasant sensory and emotional experiences due to tissue damage. According to the National Library of Medicine, this condition is not only devastating for patients but also one of the most complex clinical problems faced by doctors. For this reason, experts are looking for better strategies for understanding the nature of chronic pain.
A Better View of Chronic Pain
In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, developed a treatment approach to understanding chronic pain by implanting intracranial electrodes in two brain regions of four volunteers.
Due to the complex nature of chronic pain, this condition seems invisible to persons other than the patient, and it is also very difficult to treat. The approach used by the researchers is stimulating the brain with electricity. This was done by inserting four electrode wires to individuals with refractory neuropathic pain. The electrodes have the ability to monitor and stimulate nerve cells in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of the brain.
In the initial stage of the study, the researchers need to understand how chronic pain affects the brain. Within 3 to 6 months of wearing the electrodes, the volunteers rated their pain 2 to 8 times daily. Then the individuals' pain ratings were connected to their brains' activity patterns.
After measuring the pain signals for several months, the electrodes could pick up the specific signs of their persistent condition. It was found that brain activity in the OFC tracked the chronic pain levels of the volunteers.
According to neuroscientist Chelsea Kaplan of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, these monitored brain signals represent a reliable biomarker of chronic pain. Brain activities also help doctors track treatment responses and act as new targets for treatment.
Among the four volunteers used as participants in the study, three suffered from a stroke, and the other underwent leg amputation. Researchers will still need to find out if the result of their research can be generalized to other patients with different pain conditions. If they prove that brain activity patterns are common across individuals with chronic pains, then this approach can be used to measure pain in people with no communication ability.
Identifying reliable biomarkers of chronic pain is more than just finding out whether an individual is in pain. Instead, its goal is to serve as a treatment guide and make the patient feel more seen.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain refers to persistent pain that occurs for longer than 12 weeks despite drug medication or other forms of treatment. It can always be present, or it may come and go. It can also happen in any part of the body. It differs from acute pain, which occurs when a person gets hurt, such as a cut in the skin or broken bone.
According to Cleveland Clinic, chronic pain can be caused by a long-lasting illness or as a response to psychogenic pain. People with this condition describe their pain in various ways, such as aching, throbbing, and stiffness. It can also lead to other diseases like anxiety, fatigue, and depression.
RELATED ARTICLE: Chronic Pain 101: Should I Exercise Instead of Taking Analgesics?
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