A study conducted by researchers from NeuRA and the University of New South Wales Sydney has found that individuals with chronic pain have a neurotransmitter imbalance in the area of the brain that is responsible for regulating emotions. The study was published in the “European Journal of Pain.”
Estimates show that more than three million individuals in Australia are plagued with chronic pain, which can affect many parts of an individual’s life; more than half of these individuals also experienced depression and anxiety disorders. The researchers hypothesize that the neurotransmitter imbalance could be making it more difficult for these individuals to control their negative emotions, noting that the persistent pain may be causing the chemical disruption.
The study’s senior author, associate professor Sylvia Gustin, who is also a psychologist and neuroscientist, states that chronic pain can influence an individual’s beliefs, feelings and behaviors, explaining that researchers had found out that the pain was linked to a reduction in an inhibitive neurotransmitter known as GABA, which is found in the medial prefrontal cortex.
Inhibitive neurotransmitters weaken signals while excitatory neurotransmitters usually amplify them. In addition to helping regulate an individual’s emotions, neurotransmitters also balance messages and help cells communicate. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (“CNS”) and is found in the area of the brain where emotional regulation happens, known as the medial prefrontal cortex, which helps soothe an individual’s emotions.
For their study, the scientists recruited 48 participants, half of whom had experienced some form of chronic pain. The researchers utilized advanced neurological imaging to scan for the presence of GABA in each participant’s medial prefrontal cortex.They discovered that in comparison with a control group, the participants who suffered from chronic pain had considerably lower GABA levels.
Gustin explained that a reduction in GABA levels meant that cells in the brain couldn’t communicate to each other, which in turn amplified the participant’s thoughts, emotions and actions. This is the first time the link between reduced GABA levels and chronic pain has been translated to human studies, having already been discovered in animal studies.
In a prior study, Gustin and her team of researchers discovered that glutamate levels were lower in individuals with chronic pain. These low levels of glutamate were also associated with increased feelings of negative thinking, worry and fear. Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS. The researchers note that this disruption may compromise an individual’s ability to feel positive emotions, which isn’t easily restored once lost.
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