Cracking the Code: Measuring Chronic Pain through Brain Waves.
Researchers have discovered objective biomarkers of chronic pain severity in four patients with chronic pain using a brain implant that can record neural signals over many months. The study found that low frequencies in the orbitofrontal cortex corresponded with each patient's subjective pain intensities, providing an objective measure of chronic pain. The experiment provides the first direct evidence that chronic pain involves information-processing areas of the brain distinct from those involved in acute pain. The researchers hope to use these newly discovered neural biomarkers to develop personalized brain stimulation as a way to treat chronic pain disorders.