CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA — A study published in Nature Human Behavior suggests that discrimination can change how different ethnic groups perceive and respond to pain. <br /><br />The University of Miami says scientists gave pain stimuli to the participants' arm, then gauged their pain via MRI.<br /><br />Researchers learned that when the same pain is applied by a heating device, African Americans reported more pain than Hispanic or non-Hispanic white American participants.<br /><br />Scientists found that two areas of the brain — the ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex — responded to pain more strongly in African Americans.<br /><br />Those brain areas have been linked to chronic pain."<br /><br />Since stressful experiences are correlated to chronic pain later in life, the researchers <br />believe that stress from racial discrimination may cause increased pain sensitivity.<br /><br />Yet data suggests that doctors tend to believe African Americans to be more pain tolerant, which might make them less inclined to alleviate black pain.<br /><br />The research team writes in a statement: 'Understanding why these pain biases exist, therefore, is a key step toward ... eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in pain and its treatment.
