The truth about 'pain matrix' in the human brain

New research by scientists from University College London (UCL) and University of Reading (England) has put doubts on the previous hypothesis about how people experience pain.

In previous studies, scientists scanned the brains of volunteers when they were suffering from pain and found parts of the brain "lit up" . From that result, the concept of "pain matrix" was born and widely accepted.

"Pain matrix" are areas of the brain that handle painful sensations - a specific model of brain activity considered by scientists to be a reliable indicator of pain.

However, the results of the new study have raised doubts about the existence of "pain matrix . " Scientists found two people in a rare situation that made them unable to feel pain, along with four completely healthy volunteers. These people are approximately the same age.

The source of the feeling of pain has not been fully revealed.(Photo: Bigtreehealing).

Each participant was exposed to pain while scientists monitored their brains through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) - a method of capturing nerve function images with plus technology Magnetic resonance (MRI) to measure brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.

This technique is based on the principle: Brain blood flow always goes along with the activity of nerve cells. This means that when an area of ​​the brain is active, blood flow to that area also increases.

Strangely, the brains of people without pain feel like the brains of healthy people. This proves that "pain matrix" does not exist.

Dr. Tim Salomons (University of Reading) explains: "By examining people without feelings of pain, we can affirm that the activity of brain regions that handle painful sensations - is called" pain matrix "- not a specific pain response, because these people still retain all other senses, including a painless feeling".

"Pain matrix" can be a painful agent , may also be related to the painful process, which is wrong to create a clear link between the model and the pain feeling.

According to Professor John Wood of UCL, the team's findings highlight the importance of not combining correlation with results."Just like feeling beauty or happiness, it is still difficult to grasp the exact position of pain in the brain."

This study, published recently in this scientific journal JAMA Neurology, may disrupt the hypothesis of "pain matrix" , but it contributes to shedding light on the true source of pain.