New brain network linked to pain in Parkinson's disease

A novel brain network that links pain in Parkinson's disease (PD) to a specific region of the brain has been revealed by scientists.

Health News: A novel brain network that links pain in Parkinson's disease (PD) to a specific region of the brain has been revealed by scientists.

The research has revealed why a subset of neurons in part of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus is a potential target for pain relief in PD, as well as other diseases such as dementia, motor neuron disease and Huntington's, and certain forms of a migraine.

People with PD often report unexplained pain such as burning, stabbing, aching, itching or tingling sensations that are not directly related to their other PD symptoms. Treatment with deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus can help with the movement-related symptoms of PD, but recent studies have shown it also reduces pain. The way it does this, however, is currently unclear.

Lead author Arnaud Pautrat said, "In this study, we set out to determine whether the subthalamic nucleus is involved in translating a harmful stimulus such as injury into pain and whether this information transmission is altered in PD."