Post by PurplySparkleyJoey on Oct 5, 2002 14:38:49 GMT -5
Public release date: 17-May-2002
Contact: Kate Williams
kate.williams@mcgill.ca
514-398-6747
McGill University
Picturing your pain
Dr. Catherine Bushnell looks at how pain manifests itself in the brain
Pain is complex and often frustrating. It usually has a definite
cause, like a stubbed toe or an infected tooth but sometimes it can
just strike out of the blue. A harmless breeze on the face can send
some people into fits of excruciating pain. Others can even be
irritated by the clothes on their back. This kind of unexpected and
seemingly inexplicable pain is labelled "neuropathic" and occurs due
to some sort of malfunction in the nerves. Dr. Catherine Bushnell,
McGill University Harold Griffith professor of Anesthesia and
Professor of Dentistry and Physiology, explores this mysterious type
of pain and how it affects the body.
"Neuropathic pain is the most difficult type of chronic pain to
treat," says Dr. Bushnell. It is a very complex type of pain, one that
can frustrate researchers as much as patients. Just about the only
thing known with certainty is that the origins of this type of pain
lie in a malfunctioning nervous system. For some reason, nerve cells
either become overstimulated or misfire. This means that an
overabundance of pain messages are sent to the brain, causing severe
and often long-lasting agony. This condition is often very difficult,
if not impossible to treat and can end in long-term disability.
With funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),
Dr. Bushnell has been looking into the different mechanisms that can
cause neuropathic pain and is also investigating treatment options
using a variety of medications. Along with investigating pain
treatments, Dr. Bushnell is also delving into the psychological
aspects of neuropathic pain. "Your psychological state can
dramatically alter pain processing. Weve found that if somebody is
distracted from their pain that they report less pain," says Dr.
Bushnell. Using brain imaging, she has been looking into the activity
of the brains of patients who are distracted from their pain.
Something as simple as drawing less attention to ones pain may end up
being even more helpful than many opiates or other pain medications.
An important step in dealing with neuropathic pain, and pain in
general, is to catch it early and treat it aggressively. If left
untreated, it can end up turning into a chronic condition. "One of the
goals of educating patients is to make them understand that blocking
pain is a good thing." People often think that they should tough out
pain. Actually, studies have shown that such martyrdom sensitizes
neurons and makes the pain worse. Blocking pain as soon as possible
after its onset reduces the chance of pain in the future. While there
are concerns about drug addiction, Dr. Bushnell points out "that
treatments are available right now, which if properly used could
alleviate a lot of suffering."
Picturing Your Pain
Source: Gaia Remerowski, gremer@po-box.mcgill.ca
Dr. Bushnell is excited about being involved with the proposed McGill
Centre for Research on Pain which will boast one of the largest
concentrations of internationally known pain researchers in the world.
Shes enthused about the direction of current pain research. More
effective drugs are becoming available and neuropathic pain is being
recognized as a legitimate condition. With greater understanding of
the link between body and mind, patients in pain will be less likely
to hear the frustrating and dismissive comment, "its all in your
mind."
This is the second in a series of interviews with McGill pain
researchers whose investigations are funded by the Canadian Institute
for Health Research. The project, carried out in cooperation with The
McGill Office for Chemistry and Society, aims to highlight recent
advances in the study of pain. Permission is granted to reprint in
whole or in part.
Contact: Kate Williams
kate.williams@mcgill.ca
514-398-6747
McGill University
Picturing your pain
Dr. Catherine Bushnell looks at how pain manifests itself in the brain
Pain is complex and often frustrating. It usually has a definite
cause, like a stubbed toe or an infected tooth but sometimes it can
just strike out of the blue. A harmless breeze on the face can send
some people into fits of excruciating pain. Others can even be
irritated by the clothes on their back. This kind of unexpected and
seemingly inexplicable pain is labelled "neuropathic" and occurs due
to some sort of malfunction in the nerves. Dr. Catherine Bushnell,
McGill University Harold Griffith professor of Anesthesia and
Professor of Dentistry and Physiology, explores this mysterious type
of pain and how it affects the body.
"Neuropathic pain is the most difficult type of chronic pain to
treat," says Dr. Bushnell. It is a very complex type of pain, one that
can frustrate researchers as much as patients. Just about the only
thing known with certainty is that the origins of this type of pain
lie in a malfunctioning nervous system. For some reason, nerve cells
either become overstimulated or misfire. This means that an
overabundance of pain messages are sent to the brain, causing severe
and often long-lasting agony. This condition is often very difficult,
if not impossible to treat and can end in long-term disability.
With funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),
Dr. Bushnell has been looking into the different mechanisms that can
cause neuropathic pain and is also investigating treatment options
using a variety of medications. Along with investigating pain
treatments, Dr. Bushnell is also delving into the psychological
aspects of neuropathic pain. "Your psychological state can
dramatically alter pain processing. Weve found that if somebody is
distracted from their pain that they report less pain," says Dr.
Bushnell. Using brain imaging, she has been looking into the activity
of the brains of patients who are distracted from their pain.
Something as simple as drawing less attention to ones pain may end up
being even more helpful than many opiates or other pain medications.
An important step in dealing with neuropathic pain, and pain in
general, is to catch it early and treat it aggressively. If left
untreated, it can end up turning into a chronic condition. "One of the
goals of educating patients is to make them understand that blocking
pain is a good thing." People often think that they should tough out
pain. Actually, studies have shown that such martyrdom sensitizes
neurons and makes the pain worse. Blocking pain as soon as possible
after its onset reduces the chance of pain in the future. While there
are concerns about drug addiction, Dr. Bushnell points out "that
treatments are available right now, which if properly used could
alleviate a lot of suffering."
Picturing Your Pain
Source: Gaia Remerowski, gremer@po-box.mcgill.ca
Dr. Bushnell is excited about being involved with the proposed McGill
Centre for Research on Pain which will boast one of the largest
concentrations of internationally known pain researchers in the world.
Shes enthused about the direction of current pain research. More
effective drugs are becoming available and neuropathic pain is being
recognized as a legitimate condition. With greater understanding of
the link between body and mind, patients in pain will be less likely
to hear the frustrating and dismissive comment, "its all in your
mind."
This is the second in a series of interviews with McGill pain
researchers whose investigations are funded by the Canadian Institute
for Health Research. The project, carried out in cooperation with The
McGill Office for Chemistry and Society, aims to highlight recent
advances in the study of pain. Permission is granted to reprint in
whole or in part.