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Chronic pain may harm brain

A new study says chronic pain harms the brain, which may help explain why so many patients with chronic pain have common cognitive and behavioral conditions, too.

Researchers at Northwestern University used functional MRI to show that individuals with chronic back pain had alterations in the functional connectivity of the cortical regions — brain areas related to pain — compared to healthy subjects.

"This is the first clue we have that conditions such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and decision-making difficulties, which affect the quality of life of chronic pain patients as much as the pain itself, may be directly related to altered brain function as a result of chronic pain," principal investigator Dr. Dante Chialvo told Medscape Neurology & Neurosurgery.

The study was recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Chialvo said research has shown the healthy brain rests in a state of cooperative equilibrium, so when one part becomes active, others become less so. Regions engaged in this resting state are known as the default mode network (DMN) and usually "shut off" when an individual is paying attention or undertaking a task. They found the regions of the DMN in chronic pain patients never "quiet down."

"Our paper shows pain not only hurts patients, but the unrelenting perception of pain also harms the brain. Using technology such as fMRI, we can objectively quantify this effect," said Dr. Chialvo.

Monitor movement with kicks

Stillbirth results in the deaths of more than 70 babies in the United States each day.

Healthy babies typically make 10 movements within two hours, while decreased fetal movement is associated with stillbirth and other complications.

Kick counting is a simple, safe and effective method for monitoring fetal movement as recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Moms can start counting the kicks, jabs, rolls, twists and turns at 28 weeks, once a day, at the same time when their baby is most active. The BabyKick Foundation, a nonprofit organization to educate families and health-care providers about kick counting, offers moms-to-be free kick counting charts at www.babykickalliance.org. Many health-care organizations and providers have adapted these charts for their own use.

Test detects prostate cancer