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| Science & Technology |
| Scientists Discover the Area of the Brain Where Pain Could be 'Turned Off' |
| 2020-05-20 |
| [Science Times] A study conducted by researchers from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, have found that the amygdala in mice's brain can significantly control their sense of pain. According to Fan Wang, the lead author of the study and the Morris N. Broad Distinguished Professor of neurobiology in the School of Medicine, recent studies have determined parts of the brain that could 'turn on' pain signals, but this was the first time they were able to pinpoint where pain could be 'turned off.' The researchers also discovered that general anesthesia also stimulates a specific subgroup of inhibitory neurons in the central amygdala called the CeAga neurons. Although mice have a comparably bigger central amygdala than humans, Wang says she doesn't think there would be any difference in the two brain systems from controlling pain. The mice were initially given a pain stimulus, and the researchers mapped out the brain's pain-activated regions. They then uncovered that about 16 brain centers that could process the sensory or emotional aspects of pain were receiving inhibitory pain input from the CeAga. When the scientists diminished the activity of these CeAga neurons, the mice responded and displayed behavior indicating intense pain. They also determined that low-dose ketamine activated the CeAga center and wouldn't function without it. The team's next step is to search for drugs that can activate only these specific cells to suppress pain. According to Wang, they could potentially develop pain killers in the future using their discoveries from the study. Related: Duke University: 2020-04-17 Facebook 'Fact Checker' Worked At Wuhan Biolab; Ruled Out Virus-Leak While 'Debunking' Articles Duke University: 2020-02-15 BBC update: Sex robots may cause psychological damage Duke University: 2019-10-29 Group Demands Docs Related to Qatar's Suspected Infiltration of U.S. Public Schools |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #3 |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2020-05-20 12:49 |
| #2 Lefties have learned how to do that in California. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2020-05-20 08:11 |
| #1 Wouldn't it be more productive for individuals to learn to control the region on their own? |
| Posted by: Cesare 2020-05-20 07:39 |