Back pain causes loss of brain power

Physicians and patients have long known that constant pain, such as the chronic back pain suffered to one degree or another by at least half the adult population of both the U.K. and the U.S., leads to depression and general loss of ‘brain power’ in memory and concentration.  It has now been proven to the satisfaction of researchers that pain is a strain on the brain.  This is not just a catchy jingle; it’s quite accurate, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience this week.

It appears that this sort of continuous pain, even at a low intensity, actually causes certain areas of the brain to lose density and become thinner, though precisely how this happens is still unknown.  The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the brain is the area chiefly associated with our perception of pain, and that is the area where most of this thinning occurs.  In studying the link between pain and such loss or shrinkage of cells, researchers hoped to slow the process and related cognitive disturbance by treatment to reduce or eliminate the pain.

According to researcher Dr. Laura Stone, a neuroscientist at McGill University, successful treatment did more than slow or stop thinning; it actually reversed the process and restored normal thickness in the affected areas.  Tests of patients’ cognitive abilities conducted before and after treatment showed that within six months of such treatment the impaired functions returned to healthy levels; the thin area had thickened again.

This study and others have shown that when we’re performing ordinary activities while in pain, our brains are abnormally active compared to those of people with no pain.  Concentration is distracted by pain, leading to sluggish response in areas of decision making and other cognitive functions.  Dr. Stone says that additional studies are planned in hopes of developing therapies that address the thinning phenomena.  Theoretically, back pain sufferers will think more clearly when their pain is relieved.