University of Colorado Boulder identifies brain region controlling chronic pain persistence
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Apr 28
University of Colorado Boulder identifies brain region controlling chronic pain persistence
8 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Apr 28
Researchers found the caudal granular insular cortex (CGIC) acts as a command center, keeping pain signals active after injury in animal studies.
Shutting down this brain circuit in animals both prevented chronic pain from developing and erased it after onset, suggesting new treatment possibilities beyond opioids.
The study highlights the CGIC’s role in transitioning acute to chronic pain, affecting about one in four adults, and points toward targeted therapies or brain-machine interfaces for future pain management.
A brain circuit acts as a 'pain switch.' Can we now 'turn off' chronic pain for good?
Scientists erased chronic pain in rats. How long until this 'pain switch' therapy is available for humans?
Why would our brains have a circuit that locks in debilitating pain long after an injury has healed?
If pain is a brain switch, does this mean suffering is 'all in our heads'?
Beyond opioids: Could targeting a tiny brain region be the key to ending the addiction crisis?
As AI decodes our unique 'pain fingerprints,' who will own and protect our most private brain data?