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Arthritis Pain
Arthritis pain is processed in brain areas concerned with emotions and fear
April 10th, 2007
How does the brain process the experience of pain' Thanks to advances in neuroimaging, we now know the answer lies in a network of brain structures called the pain matrix. This matrix contains two parallel systems. The medial pain system processes the emotional aspects of pain, including fear and stress, while the lateral system processes the physical sensations—pain's intensity, location, and duration. Marked by morning stiffness, joint aches, and flare-ups, the pain of arthritis tends to be acute and recurrent, in contrast to many chronic pain conditions. Arthritis pain therefore makes an ideal model for comparing common clinical pain with experimental pain. Inspired...
Source: Life Science Weekly (2007-04-10)
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