Related Experiment Videos
[Forgotten pain]
1Neurologische Klinik, Universitäts-Nervenklinik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Niemannsweg 147, D-24 105 Kiel.
Schmerz (Berlin, Germany)
|February 15, 1996
Summary
Memory loss can alleviate chronic pain originating in the brain. In a case study, a patient with severe chronic lumbar pain experienced pain relief after developing an amnestic syndrome, highlighting the link between memory and psychogenic pain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Pain Medicine
Context:
- Chronic lumbar pain syndrome can be debilitating and resistant to conventional treatments.
- Psychodynamic factors can significantly influence the genesis and persistence of chronic pain.
- Memory function is increasingly recognized as a crucial element in the experience and maintenance of chronic pain disorders.
Purpose:
- To investigate the relationship between memory function and chronic pain.
- To explore the potential of memory impairment as a therapeutic outcome in severe, intractable pain.
- To illustrate the corticocerebral basis of psychodynamically driven pain syndromes.
Summary:
- A 55-year-old female with a 17-year history of severe chronic lumbar pain, refractory to multiple treatments including surgery and intrathecal morphine, developed an amnestic syndrome.
- Following the onset of amnesia, which erased memories of the past 20 years including her pain illness, the patient became pain-free and mobile.
- Consistent care prevented relapse as the amnesia resolved, indicating that intact memory is essential for maintaining this type of corticocerebral pain disorder.
Impact:
- This case suggests that memory failure can lead to significant pain relief in specific chronic pain conditions.
- It underscores the importance of considering psychodynamic and corticocerebral mechanisms in treatment-resistant chronic pain.
- Further research into memory modulation may offer novel therapeutic avenues for psychogenic pain disorders.