Research into the role of the brain in chronic pain
The roads less travelled - four paths to get from touch to the body I am studying medicine and as part of our course we do an Independent Learning project. I am doing mine in the Body in Mind research group here at NeuRA. My first task is to review a key paper in the field into which I’m about to delve. Here are my thoughts on Serino and … [Read more...]
Why we have a placebo effect - Part II By Peter Blanch continued.... Bruce Hood (Hood 2009) in his book “Supersense: why we believe in the unbelievable” makes a couple of quite pertinent points. He outlines a simple experiment he uses in his presentations where he presents to the audience ‘the pen’ (he admits to stretching the truth … [Read more...]
Why we have a placebo effect - Part I By Peter Blanch For a long time now, I have stood with my feet precariously placed on two icebergs that sometimes slowly drift apart and sometimes drift back together again (obviously increasing and decreasing my sensation of precariousness). The first iceberg is where I started as a clinician, with both … [Read more...]
Here is another case-study highlighting the immense complexity of the brain, pain, and above all what it means to be what we are. In short, a 36-year-old French woman sustained a stroke that caused her to experience neuropathic pain and decreased sensation. Neither of these is unusual following damage to certain parts of the brain. More remarkable, … [Read more...]
Yesterday, all my colleagues seemed so far away.... But now I know they're here to stay, Oh "Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute" is so yesterday. Sorry. This is to say that we are now Neuroscience Research Australia, fondly called NeuRA. I don't have a strong attraction to the ceremony of such things, but I must say the little TV … [Read more...]
Another intriguing experiment by Mel Slater's group from Barcelona[1], this one sure to get a good whack of popular media coverage. 24 (supposedly normal) healthy blokes put on virtual reality goggles and were 'transported' into a scene that contained two virtual women. They then induced the illusion of body transfer, which has been shown before … [Read more...]
Yet another addition to the bucketload of literature on mirror neurons - this one by folks at UCLA. These guys inserted electrodes into the accessible brain areas of 21 patients who were having brain surgery for their epilepsy. Once the electrodes were in place and the patient was (presumably) sitting up in bed a relatively happy camper, they … [Read more...]
You have almost certainly noticed that we grimace when we are in pain. But have you thought about that - I mean really thought about it? Why grimace? Well, someone who clearly thinks about such things more than most is a fellow called Jeff Mogil - Professor of Pain Type Stuff at the very pain-posh McGill University in Montreal (pain-posh means … [Read more...]
We found this looking through Medpedia's video collection, here is Oliver Sacks talking about how the mind works in relation to the brain and perception. … [Read more...]
Here is an important study. A couple of Italian Neurologists have investigated people with carpal tunnel syndrome who report that their pain has spread beyond the boundaries of the median nerve. Unfortunately, such reports are often misinterpreted by clinicians as evidence of malingering, or hysteria. Well, these fellows did quantitative … [Read more...]
Up close and personal with movement – a review from the experts
Here is a review that, if you are interested in how the brain controls muscles, and you are prepared to put in some hard yards, you should read. Simon Gandevia works down the corridor from me, so do Janet Taylor and Jane Butler. Nicholas Peterson doesn't but I once had a cup of tea from the same pot. So, I am, everyday, in the presence of … [Read more...]