🧠💥 Scientists Stay Crack Da Code Fo’ Chronic Pain Inside Da Brain
One new study stay link da kine chronic pain with activity inside da orbitofrontal cortex, one part of da brain wea get plenny kuleana fo’ regulate emotion, self-evaluation, and decision making. Fo’ da first time, da researchers went catch da brain firing up when one person get da kine chronic pain. Dis wen open da way fo’ implanted devices fo’ one day predict pain signals or maybe even shut ’em off before dey start. 📈💡🤔
Da researchers wen use one kine pacemaker-like device surgically put inside da brain fo’ record from four patients who had felt nerve pain dat neva stop fo’ ova one year. Da devices wen record couple times every day fo’ up to six months, giving some clues fo’ wea chronic pain stay inside da brain. 🎯🧩🔍
Dis study, published on Monday inside da journal Nature Neuroscience, wen report dat da pain wen get one connection with electrical fluctuations inside da orbitofrontal cortex, dat area wea get involved in emotion regulation, self-evaluation, and decision making. Da research suggests dat dis kine patterns of brain activity could be used as biomarkers fo’ help guide diagnosis and treatment fo’ millions of people who get da kine shooting or burning chronic pain linked to one damaged nervous system. 📚📖⚡️
Chronic pain stay common; about one in five American adults experience ’em. Dis kine pain stay persistent or recurrent and lasts longa than three months. Fo’ measure pain, doctas usually count on patients fo’ rate their pain, using eitha one numerical scale or one visual one based on emojis. But dis kine self-reported pain measures stay subjective and can change throughout da day. Plus, some patients, like keiki or people with disabilities, might have trouble fo’ accurately tell or score their pain. 😣💭🔢
Dis whole big movement in da pain field stay tryin’ fo’ develop more objective markers of pain dat can be used with self-reports. Befo’, studies wen typically scan da brains of chronic pain patients fo’ see changes in blood flow in different areas, one indirect measure of brain activity. But dis kine research stay limited to laboratory settings and requires patients fo’ go hospital or laboratory plenny times. 🏥🧪💉
Inside da new study, da researchers wen use electrodes fo’ measure da collective firing pattern of thousands of neurons near da electrodes. Da researchers surgically implanted da recording devices into four people who had been living with pain fo’ more than one year and neva find any relief through medications. Fo’ three of da patients, da pain wen start afta one stroke. Da fourth had da kine phantom limb pain afta losing one leg. 🩺⚡️💊
At least three times a day, patients would rate da pain they were feeling and then press one button dat would make their implants record brain signals fo’ 30 seconds. By following patients daily, at home and at work, dis stay da first time eva chronic pain been measured in da real world. 📆🌎📌
Da scientists wen put all da data about da patients’ pain scores and da corresponding electrical signals into machine learning models, which then could predict high and low chronic pain states based on brain signals only. Da researchers wen find dat certain frequency fluctuations from da orbitofrontal cortex stay da best predictors of chronic pain. Even though dat brain signature was common among patients, each patient also wen show unique brain activity. “Every patient actually had different fingerprint fo’ their pain,” said one of da researchers. 🖥️📊🔮
But we gotta stay cautious fo’ now. Just fo’ now, only four people wen participate in da study. We really like corroborate dis with other studies using different methodologies dat can give systematic coverage of da whole brain. Da authors of da study also wen note dat other brain regions might be involved. “We just getting started,” said one of da researchers. 🧠🔄⚠️
Da implants also get one other purpose: deep brain stimulation. As part of one larger clinical trial fo’ treat chronic pain, da researchers using mild electrical currents fo’ stimulate da brain regions near da electrodes. Da researchers hope to relieve patients’ lingering pain by sending pulses through da electrodes to correct fo’ any kine odd brain activity. They looking to recruit two more people and eventually expand da study to 20 or 30 people. ⚡️🧲💫
NOW IN ENGLISH
🧠💥 Scientists Unravel the Mystery of Chronic Pain in the Brain
A groundbreaking study has established a link between chronic pain and activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, a brain area involved in emotional regulation, self-evaluation, and decision-making. For the first time, researchers have observed brain activity patterns during episodes of chronic pain, a development that could lead to implantable devices capable of predicting or even interrupting pain signals. 📈💡🤔
To gather this data, researchers used a pacemaker-like device, surgically implanted within the brain, to monitor four patients who had suffered constant nerve pain for more than a year. The devices captured brain activity multiple times a day over a period of up to six months, providing valuable insights into the location of chronic pain within the brain. 🎯🧩🔍
The findings of the study, published on Monday in the journal Nature Neuroscience, revealed that the pain was associated with electrical variations in the orbitofrontal cortex, a region implicated in emotional regulation, self-evaluation, and decision-making. The study suggests that such brain activity patterns could be leveraged as biomarkers to guide diagnosis and treatment for millions of people suffering from sharp or burning chronic pain tied to a compromised nervous system. 📚📖⚡️
Chronic pain is a widespread issue, with about one in five American adults experiencing persistent or recurring pain that lasts longer than three months. To assess pain, doctors typically rely on patients rating their pain using a numerical scale or a visual one based on emojis. However, self-reported pain measurements are inherently subjective and can vary throughout the day. Moreover, certain patients, such as children or individuals with disabilities, might struggle to accurately communicate or rate their pain. 😣💭🔢
There is a significant movement in the field of pain research to develop more objective markers of pain that can supplement self-reports. Traditional studies have often scanned the brains of chronic pain patients to observe blood flow changes in various regions, providing an indirect measure of brain activity. But this type of research is restricted to laboratory settings and necessitates multiple visits by patients to a hospital or laboratory. 🏥🧪💉
In this new study, researchers used electrodes to monitor the collective firing patterns of thousands of neurons near the electrodes. The recording devices were surgically implanted into four individuals who had been living with pain for more than a year and hadn’t found relief through medication. For three of these patients, the pain commenced after a stroke. The fourth patient experienced phantom limb pain after losing a leg. 🩺⚡️💊
Patients were asked to rate their pain at least three times a day and then activate a button that commanded their implants to record brain signals for 30 seconds. By tracking patients daily, both at home and at work, researchers were able to measure chronic pain in a real-world setting for the first time. 📆🌎📌
The researchers then fed the data on the patients’ pain scores and the corresponding electrical signals into machine learning models. These models were then able to predict high and low states of chronic pain based solely on brain signals. The researchers found that certain frequency variations from the orbitofrontal cortex were the best predictors of chronic pain. Although this brain signature was common among the patients, each patient also exhibited unique brain activity. “Every patient actually had a different fingerprint for their pain,” one researcher commented. 🖥️📊🔮
Despite these intriguing findings, caution is warranted. The study involved only four participants, and the results need to be corroborated with other studies that employ different methodologies and offer systematic coverage of the entire brain. The study’s authors also noted that other brain regions may also be involved. “We’re just getting started,” one of the researchers remarked. 🧠🔄⚠️
The implants also serve another purpose: deep brain stimulation. As part of a larger clinical trial to treat chronic pain, researchers are using mild electrical currents to stimulate the brain regions near the electrodes. By sending pulses through the electrodes, they aim to correct any abnormal brain activity and alleviate the patients’ lingering pain. Plans are in place to recruit two more individuals and eventually expand the study to 20 or 30 participants. ⚡️🧲💫
