How to teach the brain to suppress the pain

According to a new study by the University of Luxembourg, the feeling of pain in people can be "diluted" when they hear a neutral sound. This is another proof that we can learn to use the mind to reduce pain. Scientific article published in the online journal "PLoS One".


Scientists know that constant pain in one part of the body is reduced, when in another part of the body appears new. This latch pain is a physiological reaction of the nervous system, helping the body to cope with potentially more new threat. To explore the phenomenon "pain inhibits pain", first in the foot of the subject has imposed painful electrical stimuli (first pain) and then measured the intensity of the pain.

Then participants were asked to put their hand in a bucket of ice-cold water (new stimulus causes less pain), and after they did that, the headphones sounded phone ringtone. This procedure was repeated several times. It turned out that the sensation of pain from electric stimulation was reduced when just sounded the melody. The brain was accustomed to the fact that the ringtone is the signal to start the lock mechanism by the body physical pain.



Participants not only felt significantly less pain, but they had fewer objective signs of pain, such as the activity of the facial muscles used in expression of pain (frown). In total, the trial involved 32 people. Professor of biological psychological University of Luxembourg Fernand Anton said, "We proved that just as Pavlov has developed the physiological reaction of saliva secretion in dogs, the ringtone had a similar effect in terms of its ability to mask people's pain".

Source: globalscience.ru