Study Links Chronic Pain to Signals in the Brain ... January 07, 2003

From: Helen Dynda (olddad66@runestone.net)
Fri May 9 01:01:32 2003


X> Study Links Chronic Pain to Signals in the Brain ... January 07, 2003

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/news_article_chronic_pain.htm?format=printable

"For centuries, doctors have tried to find effective ways to treat chronic pain, a devastating neurological disorder that affects almost 90 million Americans. A new study shows that two proteins in the brain trigger the neuronal changes that amplify and sustain this type of pain. The finding may lead to new ways of treating chronic pain.

"This is the first [chronic pain] study to show clear molecular targets in the brain," says Min Zhuo, Ph.D., of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, senior author of the report. "Drugs that inhibit these two proteins may help to reduce chronic pain." The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and appears in the November 14, 2002, issue of Neuron.

"Unlike the short-term, acute pain that people feel when they stub a toe or burn themselves, chronic pain is a disorder of the nervous system that persists for months or years and cannot be fully relieved by standard pain medications. It often includes burning, shooting, or shocking sensations. Chronic pain also may cause a problem called allodynia, in which people experience pain from stimuli that are not normally painful, such as a light touch or a breeze, or pain in places other than the area that is stimulated. There are many different kinds of chronic pain, including central pain, chronic regional pain syndrome (also called reflex sympathetic dystrophy), and peripheral neuropathy."

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