Study shows gender difference in pain transmission

Bedside nurses of the future may be checking the gender of their patient before considering the best pain management strategies.

A recent animal model study showed that gender played an important role in pain transmission and that different immune cells were responsible for pain perception in male and female mice.

The researchers found that interfering with microglia function blocked pain in male mice but not female mice.

“The realization that the biological basis for pain between men and women could be so fundamentally different raises important research and ethical questions if we want to reduce suffering,” states Dr. Mogil.

The study was published in Nature Neuroscience and was conducted by researchers from McGill University, Duke University and The Hospital for Sick Children. Original source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/296042.php