A new study out of Australia has found evidence that chronic pain can alter the brain in such a way that a person may have a harder time regulating negative emotions.

The news isn’t all that surprising, especially since there have long been links between chronic pain and feelings of anxiety or depression, but it does help to provide more hard evidence that it’s imperative that you care for your mental health if you’re been diagnosed with the physically debilitating condition of chronic pain. It’s clear that chronic pain doesn’t just cause physical pain, it also affects how we process and regulate emotions, which can make treatment all that more difficult.

Pain And Emotion Regulation

For the study, researchers compared 24 individuals with chronic pain to 24 individuals with no history of chronic pain. Researchers examined the GABA levels of each patient, which is an inhibative neurotransmitter in the medial prefrontal cortex. Lower levels of these transmitters means that brain cells can’t communicate as effectively, which can make it harder to regulate emotions like anxiousness or worry. Researchers found that patients with chronic pain were found to have significantly lower levels of the neurotransmitter than the control subjects, regardless of what type of chronic pain condition they were suffering from.

“A decrease in GABA means that the brain cells can no longer communicate to each other properly,” said Sylvia Gustin, lead researcher on the study. “When there’s a decrease in this neurotransmitter, our actions, emotions and thoughts get amplified.”

Researchers said that the study only found a correlation between chronic pain and neurotransmitter imbalances, but they also believe that it’s possible that pain could be the root cause of these brain changes.

“Everything starts with stress,” said Gustin. “When someone is in pain, it increases stress hormones like cortisol, which can trigger massive increases in glutamate. This happens during the initial, acute stage of pain.”

They believe that immune cells in certain parts of the brain then attempt to regulate this downturn in neurotransmitter ability, but this process can make it harder for the body to manage certain emotions.

“As a result of this disruption,” said Gustin, “a person’s ability to feel positive emotions, such as happiness, motivation and confidence may be taken away – and they can’t easily be restored.”

Hope On The Horizon

However, it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to chronic pain. With this further understanding, researchers hope to conduct additional testing that can better understand this connection and in turn develop some treatment techniques that specifically target GABA and gluatmine levels in the medial prefrontal cortex. And while those treatments are being developed, the study also shines a spotlight on the importance of mental health management if you’re dealing with chronic pain.

So if you are battling chronic pain and you’ve noticed that you’re having a tough time regulating emotions or that mood swings have become more frequent, reach out to a specialist who understands the importance of managing the chronic pain condition in its entirety. Dr. Cohn and his team can help find an individualized treatment that’s right for you and that accounts for your mental and physical needs. For more information, reach out to his clinic today.