Researchers Discover an "Off Switch" For Pain In the Brain

concertina226 writes Scientists working together from several international universities have discovered that it is possible to block a pathway in the brain of animals suffering from neuropathic pain, which could have a huge impact on improving pain relief in humans. So far, the most successful ways to treat chronic pain from a pharmacological point of view are to create drugs that that interact or interfere with various channels in the brain to decrease pain, including adrenergic, opioid and calcium receptors. However, there is another way – a chemical stimulator called adenosine that binds to brain receptors to trigger a biological response. Adenosine has shown potential for killing pain in humans, but so far, no one has managed to harness this pain pathway successfully without causing a myriad of side effects. Led by Dr Daniela Salvemini of SLU, the researchers discovered that by activating the A3 adenosine receptor in the rodents' brains and spinal cords, the receptor was able to prevent or reverse pain from nerve damage (the cause of chronic pain).

Comments

Re:All or nothing

[myid]

I'm curious if this'll be an all-or-nothing thing, or if there are degrees of gradation. Pain itself serves good in that it prevents one from doing things that cause it, so we don't injure ourselves.

The article at http://brain.oxfordjournals.or... has a short section titled "MRS5698 does not alter normal nociception". That section says, "MRS5698 tested at the highest effective dose had no effect in tests that measure the acute thermal nociceptive component of physiological pain: tail flick and hot-plate (Fig. 2H and I)."

Wikipedia says,

Nociception (also nocioception or nociperception) is the encoding and processing of harmful stimuli in the nervous system,[1] and, therefore, the ability of a body to sense potential harm.

Any doctors here - does that mean pain from danger still is felt, just not chronic pain from damaged nerves?

Re:All or nothing

[Neil Boekend]

And, very importantly, is now untreatable. "Sorry, just suck it up" isn't something a doctor likes to say to someone in real pain. It's not always "tingling" or pins and needles.

That it is selective is a great pro. You don't want someone with strong phantom pain in their severed hand to loose the other hand due to an infection that wasn't noticed because the painkillers stopped the important signal with the phantom one.
Missing one hand is already problem. Missing two is an unimaginable problem (at least, I can't imagine it).