Individuals who are most sensitive to pain have less gray matter in certain areas of the brain

Individuals who are most sensitive to pain have less gray matter in certain areas of the brain
While all of us have experienced pain in our lives, we're not all equally sensitive to pain. Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are investigating reasons behind this and have found that individuals with high pain sensitivity had less gray matter in certain parts of their brain. In work published in the journal Pain, the researchers compared gray matter volume and pain sensitivity in 116 volunteers. The researchers heated a small area of skin on the arm of leg of each of the participants to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and had them rate the intensity and severity of the pain. Afterwards, the gray matter of their brains was measured with MRI. Those individuals with the most sensitivity to pain had less gray matter in the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and areas of the posterior parietal cortex, all areas of the brain that are involved with sensing internal thoughts and controlling attention. The results may help researchers develop new psychotherapeutic techniques to help individuals with chronic pain manage their conditions.

Source:
http://www.wakehealth.edu/News-Releases/2014/Brain_Structure_Shows_Who_is_Most_Sensitive_to_Pain.htm
Journal article: Pain sensitivity is inversely related to regional grey matter density in the brain. Pain, 2013. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2013.12.004
Story via Neuroscience Research Techniques
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