Arthritis. Endometriosis. Fibromyalgia. Multiple Sclerosis. Postherpetic neuralgia. Sometimes, chronic pain doesn’t even come with a diagnosis, but is the aftermath of an injury that never fades. It is also notoriously underdiagnosed and undertreated.
Though nearly a quarter of Americans and a fifth of people overall live with chronic pain, its neural source has remained elusive. Only some groups of brain cells that are activated during bouts of pain had been identified in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
But now, after a series of experiments on mice, biologist Nicholas Betley from the University of Pennsylvania has discovered that a previously overlooked group of neurons in the parabrachial nucleus is switched on in individuals with chronic pain. He and his research team also found that there is a molecule that the brain can release for pain relief.
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[The] findings could mean that someday, a drug that signals neurons … could be a viable and safe alternative to painkillers such as opioids.
