International Expert Suggests Training Brain Could Help Reduce Pain

According to a well-known neuroscience researcher who spoke at the American Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome.

The brain stores maps of the body that are integrated with neurological systems that survey, regulate, and protect the integrity of the body, both physically and psychologically, G. Lorimer Moseley, PhD, professor of clinical neurosciences at University of South Australia and Neuroscience Research Australia, and head of the Body in Mind research team, told a plenary session audience at the event. These cortical maps govern movement, sensation and perception, and there is growing evidence showing that disruptions of brain maps occur in people with chronic pain, Moseley notes. The best evidence comes from those with phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome; however, there also is data from chronic back pain. For more information, click here to read the full release.