Observing nature can be a non -pharmacological treatment for pain relief, according to a new study published in the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications. The work, released on Wednesday (13), showed that the habit reduces the brain activity linked to the perception of pain.
THE search He was led by scientists at the University of Vienna, Austria, and the University of Exeter, England, and offers a promising base for new types of pain treatments.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers used a functional magnetic resonance scanner (FMRI) to monitor the brain activity of 49 participants in Austria while receiving small electric shocks to instigate pain.
According to the study, when participants attended videos of a natural scene compared to an internal city or office, they not only reported feeling less pain, but also presented changes in brain responses associated with pain processing in image examination.
The work used artificial intelligence to analyze brain networks related to pain processing. With this, the team found that the sensory signs that the brain receives during pain were reduced when participants attended a scene of a high quality nature.
“Numerous studies have shown that people consistently report to feel less pain when exposed to nature. However, so far, the underlying reasons for this effect were not clear, ”says Max Steininger, main author of the study and doctoral student at the University of Vienna, in press release.
“Our study is the first to provide evidence of brain exams that this is not just a ‘placebo’ effect – driven by people’s beliefs and expectations that nature is good for them – instead, the brain is reacting less to information about where pain is coming and how intense it is,” he adds.
For the researchers, the results of the study suggest that the analgesic effect of nature is genuine, although it is still an effect with half the intensity of the effect of medicines. “People with pain should certainly continue to take any medicine that has been prescribed to them. But we hope that in the future alternative ways of relieving pain, such as experiencing nature, can be used to help improve pain control, ”says Steininger.
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This content was originally published in observing nature can help in relieving pain, says study on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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