Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Head pounding from that happy hour last night that somehow lasted until 2 am? You can easily solve that problem by sticking a fiber optic wire in your brain and turning on the juice.
In a study just published by the journal PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington showed how the stimulation of an area the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) can bring sweet relief from pain.
Using a particular frequency of light, the study team found it could substantially lower pain in laboratory mice. Previous methods had used an electrical electrode to stimulate the ACC and caused both excitatory and inhibitory neurons to activate.
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“Our results clearly demonstrate, for the first time, that optogenetic stimulation of inhibitory neurons in ACC leads to decreased neuronal activity and a dramatic reduction of pain behavior,” said study author Samarendra Mohanty, an assistant professor of physics at UT Arlington. “Moreover, we confirmed optical modulation of specific electrophysiological responses from different neuronal units in the thalamus part of the brain, in response to particular types of pain-stimuli.”
The study centered on chemical irritants and mechanical pain, such as that felt after a pinprick. Mohanty said the findings can lead to elevated understanding of pain pathways and techniques for handling chronic pain, which frequently leads to serious impairment of normal activities.
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“While reducing the sensation for chronic pain by optical stimulation, we still want to sense certain types of pain because they tell us to move our hands or legs away from something that is too hot or that might otherwise hurt us if we get too close,” Mohanty said.
Co-author Young-tae Kim, a UT Arlington associate professor of bioengineering, said the findings could “possibly lead to less invasive methods for treating more severe types of pain without losing important emotional, sensing, and behavioral functions.”
Another study published earlier this month found that way we react to pain is constantly changing throughout our lives and is influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors.
No pain no gain
To reach their conclusion, the scientists analyzed 25 pairs of identical twins’ tolerance levels to pain from heat. Volunteers in the study had a heat probe put on their arm and were instructed to push a button when it became painful for them, which told researchers their pain tolerance levels.
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What the scientists discovered is that some of the volunteers didn’t have the same tolerance levels as their twin brother or sister. The researchers said this was surprising considering identical twins have the same genetic make-up. The variances in the way they reacted to pain must therefore come from transformations caused by their surroundings or lifestyle.
Upon inspecting the participants’ DNA, researchers saw chemical shifts in the structure of nine genes between tolerance-mismatched twins. There were substantial modifications in a particular gene that controls the generation of a membrane protein called TRPA1. The gene has earlier been linked to skin irritation, cold and pain sensitivity, and is the target of certain painkillers.
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