http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22494294/good article
What’s more, people in pain may also have trouble with emotional decision making because the prefrontal cortex — which is also responsible for sizing up emotional situations—is affected. In a separate study published in Pain, Apkarian examined chronic-back-pain patients who were each given a gambling card game to play. (Gambling is considered an emotional task.) They performed poorly compared with healthy participants. The explanation? “Suffering keeps people in an emotionally overwhelmed state, so they’re less able to address other emotional demands,” Apkarian says. Based on his findings, he is starting a clinical trial this year to test a new chronic-back-pain drug that targets the brain chemistry involved in the areas of degeneration. Although the drug might not be able to replace lost brain cells, it may help decrease suffering.