Spinal cord research finds morphine might hinder healing

Morphine administered to those with spinal cord injuries can slow the recovery of locomotor function, increase tissue loss and even produce symptoms of increased pain in chronic sufferers, according to a Texas A&M associate research professor.

Michelle Hooks research uses rats with spinal cord injuries to see how they recover with varying doses of self-administered morphine.

This is a pioneering study nobody looked at addiction in rats with spinal cord injuries, Hook said.

Initially her lab at A&M found that rats with spinal cord injuries preventing them from using their rear legs could walk all right within two weeks. The same recovery was not seen in rats administered morphine.

Morphine is administered to the rats intravenously, as it would be to humans in a clinic. In Hooks research, a control group of rats is given varying doses of morphine from .75 to 3 mm. The rats can press small levers and doses of morphine are delivered. The maximum amount a rat can receive is 30 mm.

Rats who were only given .75 mm didnt take too much morphine after their first lever press. Rats given 1.5 were in the middle and rats given 3 mm took well more than the amount needed.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, approximately 270,000 people in the U.S. are currently living with spinal cord injuries.

Hook said she understands its not that easy when it comes to patients in pain. Her goal is to identify molecular changes that cause adverse effects, block the mechanisms, protect recovery and allow opioids such as morphine to be used efficiently.

She said it can be hard for people to tell whether morphine is helping or not, because many may ask for more if their pain doesnt change or increases.

In patients with spinal cord injuries, its very difficult for clinicians to find a drug to reduce pain, she said. Opioids relieve pain for a lot of patients.

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Spinal cord research finds morphine might hinder healing