Men and Women Process Pain Signals Differently

Although it has long been known that women and men experience pain differently, most pain research uses male rodents. The new study is unique because it used female and male spinal cord tissue from both rats and humans.

By examining the spinal cord tissue in the laboratory, the researchers were able to show that a neuronal growth factor called BDNF plays a major role in amplifying spinal cord pain signaling in male humans and male rats, but not in female humans or female rats. When female rats had their ovaries removed, the difference disappeared, pointing to a hormonal connection.

“Developing new pain drugs requires a detailed understanding of how pain is processed at the biological level,” said Dr. Annemarie Dedek, lead author of the study.”This new discovery lays the foundation for the development of new treatments to help those suffering from chronic pain.”

This is the first time a sex-related difference in pain signaling has been identified in human spinal cord tissue. 

The finding could lead to better and more personalized treatments for chronic pain, which are desperately needed, especially in light of the opioid epidemic.

Sources:

Annemarie Dedek, Jian Xu, Louis-Étienne Lorenzo, Antoine G Godin, Chaya M Kandegedara, Geneviève Glavina, Jeffrey A Landrigan, Paul J Lombroso, Yves De Koninck, Eve C Tsai, Michael E Hildebrand. Sexual dimorphism in a neuronal mechanism of spinal hyperexcitability across rodent and human models of pathological pain. Brain, 2022; DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab408

The Ottawa Hospital. “Men and women process pain signals differently.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 March 2022. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220322221844.htm>.

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