Gene-ius solutions: Epigenetic innovations in chronic pain relief

Millions worldwide suffer from chronic pain, where even simple tasks become unbearable. But why does this happen? "Well,  think of our genes as the musical notes on a musician's score, detailing how each part of our body should function. When our genes work in harmony, they create beautiful, pain-free music. However, for the millions of people who suffer from widespread, chronic pain, it’s as if the orchestra conductor loses the score, leading to a harsh mix-up of painful signals.”

This figurative conductor in your body’s orchestra is called ‘epigenetics’, as VUB-researcher Huanyu Xiong explains in this video. He researches how epigenetic disruptions -genes that become overactive or underactive- lead to chronic pain and how to correct them. One promising approach is transcranial electrical stimulation, in which a gentle electrical current is applied to the scalp to correct epigenetic errors. Or should we say: to restore the body’s harmony.