A female brain’s immune cells are more active in regions involved in pain processing compared to males, says a study that could potentially explain why pain relievers are often found to be less effective in women.
The finding that microglia are more active in brain regions involved in pain processing may contribute to why the incidence rates for various chronic pain syndromes are significantly higher in females than males.
While morphine continues to be one of the primary drugs used for the treatment of severe or chronic pain, it is often less effective in females.
“Indeed, both clinical and pre-clinical studies report that females require almost twice as much morphine as males to produce comparable pain relief,” said Hillary Doyle from Georgia State University in the US.