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Functional MRI
allows researchers
Cognitive Therapy
May Diminish Pain
Using functional MRI tech-
to study brain
activation-induced
niques, Dr. Karen Davis and
PhD student David Seminowicz
have found evidence
changes in blood
to support the idea that,
in some people, a busy
flow, oxygenation,
and volume.
brain may divert their
attention away from a
painful experience.
The researchers applied a
mildly painful stimulus to 16
tion of others.
says Dr. Davis.“Our results
healthy volunteers who were
In this latter group of
show a biological basis
busy concentrating on a task,
people, it also reduced their
for the finding that cogni-
and measured how their
pain-related brain activity.
tive therapies may be
brains perceived the stimu-
“The fact that there are
useful for treating pain in
lus.They found that while
two different types of
some people.”
the stimulus made some
responders suggests that
Pain. 2004 Nov; 112
people lose their focus, it
different people deal with
(1-2): 48-58.
sharpened the concentra-
pain in different ways,”
Up to 20% of people
with depression
Parkinson’s Disease
Treatment Also
Alleviates Depression
suspected that DBS might
be useful to “retune” this
area of the brain. The treat-
study shows that DBS can
lead to striking and sustained
remission of depres-
fail to respond to
medications or
In collaboration with a team
of Toronto scientists, Drs.
Andres Lozano and Sidney
ment was successful:
changes observed in four
of the six patients treated
sion in some patients. It further
suggests that DBS may
become a standard therapy
psychotherapy.
Kennedy and Dr. Helen
Mayberg (Emory University
resembled changes that
are seen when patients
for treating severely
depressed people who are
For this group, there
is a clear need for
School of Medicine) recently
showed that deep brain
stimulation (DBS)—a proce-
respond successfully to
the standard treatment.
Says Dr. Lozano,“Our
resistant to drug therapy.”
Neuron. 2005 Mar 3;
45(5): 651-60.
new treatment
dure usually reserved for
treating Parkinson’s disease
options.
and epilepsy—alleviates
severe depression.
Based on the team’s previous
findings that an area
of the brain called Cg25 is
important for mood regulation,
the research team
30 RESEARCH REPORT 2005