A new study has shown that brain signals can be used to predict the degree of pain a person is experiencing.
The results, which experts say are the first real-world measurement of chronic pain, could help develop treatments for patients with chronic pain conditions such as post-stroke pain or phantom limb pain following amputation.
The NHS describes chronic pain as pain that lasts for more than 12 weeks despite medication or treatment.
Experts say current treatments for the condition are often ineffective in managing chronic pain, and frequently prescribed opioids run the risk of patients overdosing on their medications.
Pain is known to be subjective and varies from person to person, and its severity is usually assessed through self-reports, which may be incomplete.
The researchers argue that the discovery of objective biomarkers – biomarkers – of pain will help in the diagnosis and possible treatments for chronic pain.
Prasad Shirwalkar of the University of California at San Francisco and colleagues implanted electrodes in pain-related areas of the brain in four patients with chronic pain, three with post-stroke pain, and one with phantom limb pain.
Over a period of three to six months, patients reported their pain levels while electrodes recorded brain activity in two brain regions: the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC).
Using artificial intelligence techniques, the authors were able to successfully predict pain intensity in each patient based on brain activity with high sensitivity.
They also found that they could distinguish between chronic pain and acute thermal pain experienced by the participant.
These observations could help future development of systems that instantly detect pain in the brain and cause a short circuit, the researchers say.
Dr. Sherwalkar explained: “Currently, EEG technology and other non-invasive therapies are too broad to detect these signals. But now that we know where these signals live and when we know what signals to look for, we can try to track it non-invasively.” “.
He added: “Chronic pain is not just a more permanent version of acute pain, it is fundamentally different in the brain. Hopefully, as we better understand this, we can use this information to develop customized brain stimulation therapy for the most severe forms.” pain.”
The findings could have a direct bearing on clinical trials of a procedure called deep brain stimulation to control chronic pain. Deep brain stimulation sends electrical impulses to the brain to disrupt problematic signals. Because it is associated with brain surgery, deep brain stimulation is the last resort, but it is already being used for Parkinson’s disease and major depressive disorder. For this to be effective, clinicians must know exactly which signals to target.
“We are trying to develop brain stimulation therapy to treat pain. The main problem in the past has been that one size doesn’t fit all. Therefore, we hope that in terms of treatment, this will help to target brain stimulation therapy tailored to each individual. Shervalkar said.
The results are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Source: Independent
