Chronic pain is determined by emotions, scientists believe
Emotions may determine why some people are more likely to suffer chronic pain than others, a study has found.
By Telegraph reporters6:00PM BST 01 Jul 2012
The emotional state of the brain can explain why different individuals do not respond the same way to similar injuries, say scientists.
Some recover fully while others remain in constant pain.
Brain scan studies showed for the first time how chronic pain emerges as a result of an emotional response to an injury.
The process involves interaction between two brain regions, the frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens.
Lead scientist Professor Vania Apakarian, from Northwestern University in Chicago, US, said: ”The injury itself is not enough to explain the ongoing pain. It has to do with the injury combined with the state of the brain.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/wirecopy/9368065/Chronic-pain-is-determined-by-emotions-scientists-believe.html
