Loonylabs: A chemical in the brain typically associated with cognition, movement
and reward-motivation behavior — among others — may also play a role in
promoting chronic pain, according to new research. The chemical,
dopamine, sets the stage for many important brain functions, but the
mechanisms that cause it to contribute to chronic pain are less well
understood. In a recent paper, researchers followed the sequence of pain impulses
traveling from the brain to the spinal cord in mice. They found that by
removing a collection of neurons called A11 that contain dopamine, chronic pain was selectively diminished.
