Patients with chronic pain lack somatic markers during decision-making

What is it about?

Patients with chronic pain have reduced decision-making ability, measured with the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). By measuring skin conductance during IGT, this study found that a group of chronic pain patients lacked skin conductance events ("somatic markers") before disadvantageous decisions.

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Why is it important?

This is the first study to shed light on potential mechanisms for decision-making impairments in patients with chronic pain. A better understanding of how chronic pain affects decision-making could lead to a better understanding of both how chronic pain affects the brain, and of how decision-making processes happen in the brain.