Published on: June 7, 2015
by Khaleej Times:
People with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment (CI) may be more sensitive to pain, says a study.
“It appears that those with widespread brain atrophy or neural degeneration…all show increased pain responses and/or greater pain sensitivity,” said one of the researchers Ruth Defrin.
The researchers analysed previous studies on pain responses in cognitively impaired patients.
Most studies suggest that the experience of pain is elevated in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
“However, individuals with CI can have difficulty communicating the features of their pain to others, which in turn presents a significant challenge for effective diagnosis and treatment of their pain,” the researchers wrote.
Because of those communication issues, the belief that cognitively impaired people have reduced pain sensitivity may have formed.
Pain sensitivity in late Alzheimer’s disease is unclear, the researchers noted, adding the effects of other types of neurodegenerative impairment on pain processing appear variable.
Pain responses seem to be decreased in patients with frontotemporal dementia and Huntington’s disease, but increased in those with Parkinson’s disease. Effects on pain sensitivity may vary even for diseases affecting similar areas of the brain.
Various developmental disabilities—such as autism, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability—are also associated with increased pain sensitivity, the study said.
The findings suggest that pain processing is frequently altered in cognitively impaired individuals, often with increased sensitivity to painful stimuli.
The research review was published in the journal PAIN.
Source: http://bit.ly/1AFsmp5
Thanks to the ongoing support of our partner Brain Canada, and The Citrine Foundation of Canada, Women’s Brain Health Initiative’s newest edition of MIND OVER MATTER has just been published. Loaded with interesting science-based articles, MIND OVER...
On December 2nd, in celebration of Women’s Brain Health Day, join thousands of others and take part in the Stand Ahead® Memory Challenge to stand up against research bias and stand ahead for women’s brain...
YOU’RE INVITED! On December 2nd, the second annual Women’s Brain Health Day, take the memory challenge and help us combat brain-aging diseases that disproportionately affect women. Join CTV’s Pattie Lovett-Reid and Anne-Marie Mediwake, along...
The material presented through the Think Tank feature on this website is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. WBHI strongly advises all questioners and viewers using this feature with health problems to consult a qualified physician, especially before starting any treatment. The materials provided on this website cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. The materials are not exhaustive and cannot always respect all the most recent research in all areas of medicine.
