WMIC provides the venue for pioneering work into pain research
March 2010
Scientists at the WMIC have brought a new tracer online for use in a research project investigating how the body copes with pain. The study, being led by Professor Anthony Jones, will look at the relationship between the brain's release of endogenous opioids (EO) in response to pain, and various psychological and physiological variables (anxiety and depression, pain threshold and tolerance, resting brain activity, anticipation of pain, and the stress response).
The tracer, 11C diprenorphine, is an opioid antagonist which is used in the study to measure the release of endogenous opioids. The study initially involves the recruitment of healthy volunteers to test the complex methodology, which in addition to diprenorphine scanning will involve scanning with radiolabelled water, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the use of specialist equipment designed for the purpose of inducing pain. Researchers then plan to recruit patients with osteoarthritic or rheumatoid arthritic pain. All subjects will also undergo a carefully designed battery of tests to assess psychological distress.
Although specifically developed in-house for this project, 11C diprenorphine is intended for use in a variety of studies in the future. The project is being undertaken in partnership with Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust.