Although the placebo effect is discovered decades agothe ability of the brain to reduce the pain with mere thoughts never ceases to amaze scientists. Now, a new study – published in Nature– revealed brain circuits responsible for creating the effect, something that has important implications for pain treatment.
The researchers, who conducted the study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, They were able to delineate neurons in the brains of rats that are specifically activated when pain relief is expected.. More importantly, the research found that Activation of these neurons coincided with pain relief in the absence of medication.
Greg Scherrerthe study’s lead researcher, said the discovery helps us understand pain in a new way. As many understand, pain It is a sign of the nervous system that signals that something in the body is wrong. But, as Scherrer stressed, “pain is also about the future.”
He explained that pain helps inform a person about their physical condition and what actions should be avoided in order to stay well. “Every time you learn something from pain, you will use it to select better behaviors in the future”the expert stressed.
The above refers to the cognitive aspect of grief. Unlike the sensory and emotional aspects, such as the direct sense of grief and the bitter emotions that arise along with it, the cognitive aspect is about the meaning and value it has in informing further action.
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Every time you learn something from pain, you will use it to select better behaviors in the future. ”Greg Scherrer, neurologist
According to Scherrer, The placebo effect has a lot to do with an animal’s expectations. When an animal feels pain, but understands that it is not serious or that relief is coming, the brain activates circuits to turn off the alarm sounded by the nervous system.. Previous studies in humans They taught that part of this effect is due to the activation of a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
The researcher and his team sought to identify specific neurons in this region to further their understanding of how the placebo effect works in the brain. Using rats trained to expect pain relief, they were able to identify specific cells in the ACC that communicate with other parts of the brain, such as the cerebellum, to create the placebo effect.
This is important, Scherrer said, because, “If you want to develop new treatments, you have to know which cells are producing the effect”He said the study provides the basis for informing cognitive therapies and creating new drugs to treat pain.
“Understanding now what the mechanism is not only helps us outline more specific tools to help in the process of managing pain, but helps in clinical studies that are trying to elucidate other types of analgesics”commented the doctor, for her part Christina Velazquez about the study.
The professor and researcher of the Institute of Neurobiology of the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus He highlighted the importance of studies such as Scherrer’s in informing pain treatment.
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It is important that the government, the people, continue to contribute to that branch of human capital potential in Puerto Rico. ”Christina Velázquez, neurologist
“Right now, we have an urgent need to be able to see alternatives in pain management, because we have other tools that are pharmacological that have been used and abused considerably and have created a very difficult social and socioeconomic situation,” he explained to The New Day.
With the increase of the use and abuse of analgesic drugs – such as fentanyl– In Puerto Rico, alternative ways to manage pain are more important than ever. The discovery of the new circuit creates new opportunities to develop alternative treatmentsstressed Velázquez, who also explained that the information could help implement traditional treatments in more specific ways.
Above all, the study creates new avenues of research to better understand pain and how it can be managed. Neurologists like Scherrer and Velázquez are integral to this process, researching and informing medical systems.
Velázquez said that this fact is critical in Puerto Rico, citing that the field of scientific and technological professionals on the island has a growth rate of 45%, projected for the next five years.
“It is important that the government, the people, continue to contribute to this branch of human capital potential in Puerto Rico because, really, it is the basis for long-term prosperity.”said Velázquez, stressing the need to invest in institutions and research that support the island’s well-being.