According to a new research, the emotional state of the brain results in different responses by people to similar injuries.

Emotions are the reason why some people suffer more pain while others recover quickly from some injuries, according to the scientists. Brain scans have shown how chronic pain emerge as a response to emotional reaction to injuries.

It was found that the process with the interaction between two brain regions; frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Lead scientist Professor Vania Apakarian, from Northwestern University in Chicago, said that the injury itself is not enough to explain the pain and ongoing pain is linked to the emotions.

She said that the pain is more likely persist after the injury has healed if the brain reacts more emotionally to an initial injury. The research study included 40 volunteers, who were suffering episode of back pain lasting one to four months. The researchers conducted four brain scan over a period of one year. The researchers were able to predict with 85% accuracy which individuals would go on to develop chronic pain.

Prof Apakarian added, "It may be that these sections of the brain are more excited to begin within certain individuals, or there may be genetic and environmental influences that predispose these brain regions to interact at an excitable level."

The results are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.