Daune Coogan underwent a series of MRIs to find out how chronic pain affected her brain. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain will be well aware of the emotional pain that can come with it. Researchers found people with chronic pain had lower levels of glutamate, which helps regulate emotion There are no medications that target reduced levels of glutamate in the brain Scientists are developing a computer program to teach brain cells to communicate properly again But new research from Australian scientists shows there is a physical reason for it: chronic pain can physically change the brain. Researchers from Neuroscience Research Australia compared the brain scans of 19 patients with conditions such as nerve pain and jaw disorders against the scans of 19 healthy people . Sylvia Gustin found patients with chronic pain had lower levels of a substance called glutamate, a key chemical messenger between brain […]