Subcortical structures involved in pain processing: evidence from single-trial fMRI

Acupuncture modulates resting state connectivity in default and sensorimotor brain networks

Previous studies have defined low-frequency, spatially consistent networks in resting fMRI data which may reflect functional connectivity. We sought to explore how a complex somatosensory stimulation, acupuncture, influences intrinsic connectivity in two of these networks: the default mode network (DMN) and sensorimotor network (SMN). We analyzed resting fMRI data taken before and after verum and sham acupuncture. Electrocardiography data were used to infer autonomic modulation through measures of heart rate variability (HRV). Probabilistic independent component analysis was used to separate resting fMRI data into DMN and SMN components. Following verum, but not sham, acupuncture there was increased DMN connectivity with pain (anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), periaqueductal gray), affective (amygdala, ACC), and memory (hippocampal formation, middle temporal gyrus) related brain regions. Furthermore, increased DMN connectivity with the hippocampal formation, a region known to support memory and interconnected with autonomic brain regions, was negatively correlated with acupuncture-induced increase in a sympathetic related HRV metric (LFu), and positively correlated with a parasympathetic related metric (HFu). Following verum, but not sham, acupuncture there was also increased SMN connectivity with pain-related brain regions (ACC, cerebellum). We attribute differences between verum and sham acupuncture to more varied and stronger sensations evoked by verum acupuncture. Our results demonstrate for the first time that acupuncture can enhance the post-stimulation spatial extent of resting brain networks to include anti-nociceptive, memory, and affective brain regions. This modulation and sympathovagal response may relate to acupuncture analgesia and other potential therapeutic effects.

Brain imaging of acupuncture: comparing superficial with deep needling

The difference between superficial and deep needling at acupuncture points has yet to be mapped with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a 3T MRI, echo planar imaging data were acquired for 17 right-handed healthy volunteer participants. Two fMRI scans of acupuncture needling were taken in random order in a block design, one for superficial and one for deep needling on the right hand at the acupuncture point LI-4 (Hegu), with the participant blind to the order. For both scans needle stimulation was used. Brain image analysis tools were used to explore within-group and between-group differences in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses. The study demonstrated marked similarities in BOLD signal responses between superficial and deep needling, with no significant differences in either activations (increases in BOLD signal) or deactivations (decreases in BOLD signal) above the voxel Z score of 2.3 with corrected cluster significance of P=0.05. For both types of needling, deactivations predominated over activations. These fMRI data suggest that acupuncture needle stimulation at two different depths of needling, superficial and deep, do not elicit significantly different BOLD responses. This data is consistent with the equivalent therapeutic outcomes that are claimed by proponents of Japanese and Chinese styles of acupuncture that utilise superficial and deep needling, respectively.

What are you feeling? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the modulation of sensory and affective responses during empathy for pain

Background

Recent neuroscientific evidence suggests that empathy for pain activates similar neural representations as the first-hand experience of pain. However, empathy is not an all-or-none phenomenon but it is strongly malleable by interpersonal, intrapersonal and situational factors. This study investigated how two different top-down mechanisms – attention and cognitive appraisal - affect the perception of pain in others and its neural underpinnings.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We performed one behavioral (N = 23) and two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments (N = 18). In the first fMRI experiment, participants watched photographs displaying painful needle injections, and were asked to evaluate either the sensory or the affective consequences of these injections. The role of cognitive appraisal was examined in a second fMRI experiment in which participants watched injections that only appeared to be painful as they were performed on an anesthetized hand. Perceiving pain in others activated the affective-motivational and sensory-discriminative aspects of the pain matrix. Activity in the somatosensory areas was specifically enhanced when participants evaluated the sensory consequences of pain. Perceiving non-painful injections into the anesthetized hand also led to signal increase in large parts of the pain matrix, suggesting an automatic affective response to the putatively harmful stimulus. This automatic response was modulated by areas involved in self/other distinction and valence attribution – including the temporo-parietal junction and medial orbitofrontal cortex.

Conclusions/Significance

Our findings elucidate how top-down control mechanisms and automatic bottom-up processes interact to generate and modulate other-oriented responses. They stress the role of cognitive processing in empathy, and shed light on how emotional and bodily awareness enable us to evaluate the sensory and affective states of others.

Gender differences in brain activity evoked by muscle and cutaneous pain: a retrospective study of single-trial fMRI data

Gender greatly influences pain processing. Not only do females display greater pain sensitivity, many chronic pain conditions affect females more than males. Although gender-based differences in pain sensitivity may be related to cultural and social factors, animal studies also reveal gender differences in pain sensitivity, suggesting that physiological factors may contribute to differences in the processing of pain in males and females. It has been recently reported that noxious cutaneous heat stimuli evoke gender-based differences in activity in some brain regions. Given that most chronic pain conditions, including those with gender bias are of "deep" origin (e.g. arising in muscle, joints or viscera), we investigated whether gender differences also exist in the central processing of muscle pain. In 24 healthy adults we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure signal intensity changes during muscle and cutaneous pain induced by intramuscular and subcutaneous injections of hypertonic saline, respectively. In addition to activating the "pain neuromatrix", i.e. cingulate, insular, somatosensory and cerebellar cortices, both muscle pain and cutaneous pain evoked gender-based differences in the mid-cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and cerebellar cortex. These differences may reflect differences in emotional processing of noxious information in men and women and may underlie the gender bias that exists in many chronic pain conditions.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral activation during spinal cord stimulation in failed back surgery syndrome patients

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) consisting of electrical stimulation of the dorsal spinal cord using epidural electrodes has been shown to relieve chronic neuropathic pain. To analyze the cerebral activation patterns related to SCS, and to evaluate the effects of SCS on the processing of acute experimental pain, we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on eight patients suffering from failed back surgery syndrome who were also being treated with SCS for severe pain in their legs and lower back. Three types of stimulation were used, each lasting 36s: (i) SCS, (ii) heat pain (HP) applied to the leg affected by neuropathic pain, and (iii) simultaneous HP and SCS. During SCS, we found increased activation of the medial primary sensorimotor cortex somatotopically corresponding to the foot and/or perineal region, contralateral posterior insula, and the ipsilateral secondary somatosensory cortex (S2). Decreased activation was seen in the bilateral primary motor cortices and the ipsilateral primary somatosensory cortex corresponding to the shoulder, elbow and hand. Compared to separately presented HP and SCS, simultaneous HP and SCS showed statistically significant activation of the bilateral inferior temporal cortex and the ipsilateral cerebellar cortex. The activation of the primary motor cortex, insula and S2 during SCS may directly interfere with the processing of neuropathic pain. When SCS is associated with heat pain, the paralimbic association cortex and cerebellum show activation exceeding the sum of activations resulting from separate SCS and heat pain stimulation. The explanation of this could possibly rest with the continuous comparisons of simultaneous pain and somatosensory sensations occurring in a single dermatome.

Habituation to painful stimulation involves the antinociceptive system

The perception of pain results from an interaction between nociceptive and antinociceptive mechanisms. A better understanding of the neural circuitry underlying these physiological interactions provides an important opportunity to develop better treatment strategies for and ultimately even prevent pain. Here, we investigated how repeated painful stimulation over several days is processed, perceived and finally modulated in the healthy human brain. Twenty healthy subjects were stimulated daily with a 20min pain paradigm for 8 consecutive days, and functional MRI performed on days 1, 8 and 22. Repeated painful stimulation over several days resulted in substantially decreased pain ratings to identical painful stimuli. The decreased perception of pain over time is reflected in decreased BOLD responses to nociceptive stimuli in classical pain areas, including thalamus, insula, SII and the putamen. In contrast to this finding, we found that pain-related responses in the rACC, specifically the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), significantly increased over time. Given this area's predominant role in endogenous pain control, this response pattern suggests that habituation to pain is at least in part mediated by increased antinociceptive activity.

Cerebral activation in patients with somatoform pain disorder exposed to pain and stress: An fMRI study

Patients with somatoform pain disorders are supposed to suffer from an early acquired defect in stress regulation. In order to look for common alterations of the pain- and stress-responsive cortical areas, we prospectively recorded cerebral activations induced by pin-prick pain, by cognitive stress and emotional stress using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a group of 17 patients and an age-matched control group. In addition, the hippocampal volumes of both groups were measured. Patients showed increased activations of the known pain-processing areas (thalamus, basal ganglia, operculo-insular cortex), but also of some prefrontal, temporal and parietal regions during first pain exposure and of temporal and parietal areas during cognitive stress, but reduced activations during emotional stress. In contrast to these functional differences, hippocampal volume was not significantly reduced in patients. Although the superior temporal gyrus was the only common area of an "overactivation" in patients in the pain and stress condition, findings of our study support the current concept of mechanisms involved in somatoform pain disorders: central processing of pain and of cognitive stress is increased in patients possibly due to exaggerated memory and/or anticipation of pain exposure and to a disturbance of stress-regulating systems which has to be worked out on a cortical level in more detail. Our finding of a reduced responsiveness to emotional stress is surprising, but not contradictive to these results because some sort of neglect or coping mechanisms may have developed over time as a response to early adversities.

New insights into migraine: application of functional and structural imaging

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Functional neuroimaging in headache patients has revolutionized our understanding of these syndromes. Further insights into the pathophysiology of headache syndromes have been provided by innovative neuroimaging analysis using structural data. This review highlights the recent advances made in studying migraine using neuroimaging techniques.

RECENT FINDINGS

Several independent studies have reinforced the crucial role for the brainstem in acute and probably also chronic migraine. Recently described structural abnormalities in the visual network of motion-processing areas could account for, or be caused by, the cortical hyperexcitability observed in migraineurs. Although data from morphometric studies are heterogeneous, a recent study suggests an increased density of brainstem structures and decreased grey matter in pain-transmitting areas in migraine patients.

SUMMARY

Given the rapid advances in functional neuroimaging, in particular newer techniques such as voxel-based morphometry and magnetic resonance spectrometry, functional imaging continues to play a significant role and opens new avenues in targeting the neural substrates in individual primary headache syndromes.

Pain response in depersonalization: a functional imaging study using hypnosis in healthy subjects

BACKGROUND

Depersonalization (DP) is characterized by persistent or recurrent episodes of detachment from one's self with reduced pain perception being a common feature. Alterations in the body schema similar to the cortico-limbic disconnection syndrome of pain asymbolia are suggested to be responsible for DP. In this study we used hypnosis to induce DP in healthy subjects and to examine neural patterns of pain perception in the state of DP by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

METHODS

Pain perception was investigated in 7 healthy subjects with high susceptibility to hypnosis in three different mental states: waking state (N-W), hypnotic relaxation (H-R) and hypnotic DP (H-DP). Pain was induced with electrical stimulation to the median nerve at the right wrist. fMRI measurements were performed during all states.

RESULTS

Nociceptive stimuli led to an activation of the well described pain network including somatosensory and insular regions and the cerebellum. Activation was markedly reduced in the contralateral somatosensory cortex, parietal cortex (Brodmann area 40, BA40), prefrontal cortex (BA9), putamen and the ipsilateral amygdala during H-DP. Subjects also reported a significant decrease in pain intensity from N-W to H-DP.

CONCLUSION

Pain response during H-DP was reduced in sensory and affective pain-related areas, reflecting the diminished intensity of the perceived pain. Moreover, a network of cortical and subcortical areas that have been implicated in the perception of the own body was less responsive during DP, which might point to a specific neural mechanism underlying the 'out-of-body' experience. Although the small number of subjects does not allow a generalization of our findings, H-DP seems to be a promising tool for the investigation of psychological and biological mechanisms of self-inflicted injuries as well as the mind-body interplay within the realm of psychosomatic disorders.

Capsaicin-induced thermal hyperalgesia and sensitization in the human trigeminal nociceptive pathway: an fMRI study

The aim of this study was to differentiate the processing of nociceptive information, matched for pain intensity, from capsaicin-induced hyperalgesic vs. control skin at multiple levels in the trigeminal nociceptive pathway. Using an event-related fMRI approach, 12 male subjects underwent three functional scans beginning 1 h after topical application of capsaicin to a defined location on the maxillary skin, when pain from capsaicin application had completely subsided. Brush and two levels of painful heat (low-Thermal-1 and high-Thermal-2) were applied to the site of capsaicin application and to the mirror image region on the opposite side. Temperatures for each side were set to evoke perceptually matched pain (mean temperatures [capsaicin/control]: Thermal-1=38.4/42.8 degrees C; Thermal-2=44.9/47.8 degrees C). We found differences in activation patterns following stimuli to treated and untreated sides in sensory circuits across all stimulus conditions. Across the trigeminal nociceptive pathway, Thermal-2 stimulation of hyperalgesic skin evoked greater activation in trigeminal ganglion and nucleus, thalamus, and somatosensory cortex than the control side. Thus, trigeminal nociceptive regions showed increased activation in the context of perceptually equal pain levels. Beyond these regions, contrast analyses of capsaicin vs. control skin stimulation indicated significant changes in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and amygdala. The involvement of these emotion-related regions suggests that they may be highly sensitive to context, such as prior experience (application of capsaicin) and the specific pain mechanism (hyperalgesic vs. normal skin).

Acupuncture of LI-4 in Anesthetized Healthy Humans Decreases Cerebral Blood Flow in the Putamen Measured with Positron Emission Tomography

To minimize the influence of exogenous factors, 13 volunteers were anesthetized with sevoflurane 1 MAC while exposed to manual acupuncture stimulation of LI-4 (Group 1, n = 7) or a placebo point in the space between the third and fourth metacarpals (Group II, n = 6). During anesthesia (baseline) and anesthesia + acupuncture, one H2(15)O scan was performed, respectively. Group I demonstrated a significant decrease in regional cerebral blood flow in the right medial frontal gyrus (20%) and in the left putamen (17%). In Group II regional cerebral blood flow was decreased in the right medial frontal gyrus (22%); in the putamen no significant changes were observed. These data suggest that needle penetration of the skin affects the medial frontal gyrus, whereas acupuncture of LI-4 influences the putamen.

A simultaneous EEG–fMRI study of painful electric stimulation

Together with a detailed behavioral analysis, simultaneous measurement of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) permits a better elucidation of cortical pain processing. We applied painful electrical stimulation to 6 healthy subjects and acquired fMRI simultaneously with an EEG measurement. The subjects rated various stimulus properties and the individual affective state. Stimulus-correlated BOLD effects were found in the primary and secondary somatosensory areas (SI and SII), the operculum, the insula, the supplementary motor area (SMA proper), the cerebellum, and posterior parts of the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC). Perceived pain intensity was positively correlated with activation in these areas. Higher unpleasantness rating was associated with suppression of activity in areas known to be involved in stimulus categorization and representation (ventral premotor cortex, PCC, parietal operculum, insula) and enhanced activation in areas initiating, propagating, and executing motor reactions (ACC, SMA proper, cerebellum, primary motor cortex). Concordant dipole localizations in SI and ACC were modeled. Using the dipole strength in SI, the network was restricted to SI. The BOLD signal change in ACC was positively correlated to the individual dipole strength of the source in ACC thus revealing a close relationship of BOLD signal and possibly underlying neuronal electrical activity in SI and the ACC. The BOLD signal change decreased in SI over time. Dipole strength of the ACC source decreased over the experiment and increased during the stimulation block suggesting sensitization and habituation effects in these areas.

Hypothalamus and amygdala response to acupuncture stimuli in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Brain processing of acupuncture stimuli in chronic neuropathic pain patients may underlie its beneficial effects. We used fMRI to evaluate verum and sham acupuncture stimulation at acupoint LI-4 in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) patients and healthy controls (HC). CTS patients were retested after 5 weeks of acupuncture therapy. Thus, we investigated both the short-term brain response to acupuncture stimulation, as well as the influence of longer-term acupuncture therapy effects on this short-term response. CTS patients responded to verum acupuncture with greater activation in the hypothalamus and deactivation in the amygdala as compared to HC, controlling for the non-specific effects of sham acupuncture. A similar difference was found between CTS patients at baseline and after acupuncture therapy. For baseline CTS patients responding to verum acupuncture, functional connectivity was found between the hypothalamus and amygdala--the less deactivation in the amygdala, the greater the activation in the hypothalamus, and vice versa. Furthermore, hypothalamic response correlated positively with the degree of maladaptive cortical plasticity in CTS patients (inter-digit separation distance). This is the first evidence suggesting that chronic pain patients respond to acupuncture differently than HC, through a coordinated limbic network including the hypothalamus and amygdala.

Trigeminal neuropathic pain alters responses in CNS circuits to mechanical (brush) and thermal (cold and heat) stimuli

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to study patients with chronic neuropathic pain involving the maxillary region (V2) of the trigeminal nerve in patients with spontaneous pain and evoked pain to brush (allodynia). Patients underwent two functional scans (2-3 months apart) with mechanical and thermal stimuli applied to the affected region of V2 and to the mirror site in the unaffected contralateral V2 region, as well as bilaterally to the mandibular (V3) division. Patients were stimulated with brush, noxious cold, and noxious heat. Significant changes were observed in regions within and outside the primary trigeminal sensory pathway. Stimulation to the affected (neuropathic) side resulted in predominantly frontal region and basal ganglia activation compared with the control side. The differences were consistent with the allodynia to brush and cold. A region of interest-based analysis of the trigeminal sensory pathway revealed patterns of activation that differentiated between the affected and unaffected sides and that were particular to each stimulus. Activation in the spinal trigeminal nucleus was constant in location for all pain stimuli. Activation in other brainstem nuclei also showed differences in the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal for the affected versus the unaffected side. Thus, sensory processing in patients with trigeminal neuropathic pain is associated with distinct activation patterns consistent with sensitization within and outside of the primary sensory pathway.

Discrete changes in cortical activation during experimentally induced referred muscle pain: a single-trial fMRI study

Noxious stimulation of skeletal muscle evokes pain that is often referred into distal areas. Despite referred pain being of significant clinical importance, the brain regions responsible for the perception of referred pain remain unexplored. The aim of this investigation is to define these regions using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We induced muscle pain by hypertonic saline injections (0.5 ml) into the tibialis anterior (TA) or flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscle. TA injections evoked pain that was referred to the ankle/foot in 10/17 subjects, whereas FCR injections evoked pain that was projected into the wrist/hand in 6/12 subjects. Regional brain responses were statistically tested by convolving the temporal profile of the subjective pain intensity rating with the hemodynamic response function. For all subjects, signal increased in the region of primary somatosensory cortex (SI), which represents the leg or arm, that is, the area corresponding to the injection site. However, for those subjects who reported referred pain, signal intensity increases also occurred in the SI region representing the foot or hand. Interestingly, differential signal changes also occurred in anterior cingulate, cerebellar, and insular cortices. This is the first study to provide evidence of cortical differentiation in the processing of primary and referred pain.

Emotion and Pain: A Functional Cerebral Systems Integration

Emotion and pain are psychological constructs that have received extensive attention in neuropsychological research. However, neuropsychological models of emotional processing have made more progress in describing how brain regions interact to process emotion. Theories of emotional processing can describe inter-hemispheric and intra-hemispheric interactions during emotional processing. Due to similarities between emotion and pain, it is thought that emotional models can be applied to pain. The following review examines the neuropsychology of emotion and pain using a functional cerebral systems approach. Specific comparisons are made between pain and anger. Attention is given to differences in cerebral function and physiology that may contribute to the processing of emotion and pain. Suggestions for future research in emotion and pain are given.

Determining anatomical connectivities between cortical and brainstem pain processing regions in humans: A diffusion tensor imaging study in healthy controls

Neuroimaging methods have so far identified various structures in the brain involved in the processing of pain and its control. However, our understanding of their anatomical connectivities is relatively weak. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a magnetic resonance imaging-based method, allows in vivo mapping of the anatomical connections in the human brain and was used to investigate the white matter connections originating from the periaquaductal grey (PAG) and nucleus cuneiformis (NCF). We performed DTI on 8 healthy right-handed male volunteers. Group analysis showed that tract paths could be defined and their likelihood quantified for connections between the PAG and separately for the NCF, to the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus and rostroventral medial medulla bilaterally. The connections identified confirm the existence of an anatomical circuitry for the functionally characterised top-down influences on pain processing via brainstem structures in humans.

Brain activation during input from mechanoinsensitive versus polymodal C-nociceptors

C-nociceptors mediating cutaneous pain in humans can be distinguished in mechano-heat-responsive units (CMH) and mechano-insensitive units (CMi). However, if sensitized in damaged tissue, CMi play an important role in inflammatory pain. CMi differ from CMH by higher electrical thresholds and by mediating the axon reflex. Using these properties, we established two stimulation paradigms: (1) transcutaneous stimulation (TCS) of low current density below the CMi threshold and (2) intracutaneous stimulation (ICS) of high current density that excites CMi. This was proven by the quantification of the axon-reflex flare. Applying these stimulation paradigms during functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated whether nociceptor stimulation that recruits CMi leads to different cerebral activation than stimuli that do not recruit CMi. Brain activation by CMi was inferred by subtraction. Both stimuli recruited multiple afferents other than CMi, and we expected a common network of regions involved in different aspects of pain perception and motor nocifensive reactions in both stimuli. ICS that additionally recruited CMi should activate regions with low acuity that are involved in pain memory and emotional attribution. Besides a common network of pain in both stimuli, TCS activated the supplementary motor area, motor thalamic nuclei, the ipsilateral insula, and the medial cingulate cortex. These regions contribute to a pain processing loop that coordinates the nocifensive motor reaction. CMi nociceptor activation did not cause relevant activation in this loop and does not seem to play a role in withdrawal. The posterior cingulate cortex was selectively activated by ICS and is apparently important for the processing of inflammatory pain.

Enhanced group II mGluR-mediated inhibition of pain-related synaptic plasticity in the amygdala

Background

The latero-capsular part of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeLC) is the target of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway. Our previous studies showed that CeLC neurons develop synaptic plasticity and increased neuronal excitability in the kaolin/carrageenan model of arthritic pain. These pain-related changes involve presynaptic group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and postsynaptic NMDA and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP1) receptors. Here we address the role of group II mGluRs.

Results

Whole-cell current- and voltage-clamp recordings were made from CeLC neurons in brain slices from control rats and arthritic rats (>6 h postinjection of kaolin/carrageenan into the knee). Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were evoked by electrical stimulation of afferents from the pontine parabrachial (PB) area. A selective group II mGluR agonist (LY354740) decreased the amplitude of EPSCs more potently in CeLC neurons from arthritic rats (IC₅₀ = 0.59 nM) than in control animals (IC₅₀ = 15.0 nM). The inhibitory effect of LY354740 was reversed by a group II mGluR antagonist (EGLU) but not a GABA_A receptor antagonist (bicuculline). LY354740 decreased frequency, but not amplitude, of miniature EPSCs in the presence of TTX. No significant changes of neuronal excitability measures (membrane slope conductance and action potential firing rate) were detected.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that group II mGluRs act presynaptically to modulate synaptic plasticity in the amygdala in a model of arthritic pain.

A novel modelling and experimental technique to predict and measure tissue temperature during CO2 laser stimuli for human pain studies

Laser nerve stimulation is now accepted as one of the preferred methods for applying painful stimuli to human skin during pain studies. One of the main concerns, however, is thermal damage to the skin. We present recent work based on using a CO2 laser with a remote infrared (IR) temperature sensor as a feedback system. A model for predicting the subcutaneous skin temperature derived from the signal from the IR detector allows us to accurately predict the laser parameters, thus maintaining an optimum pain stimulus whilst avoiding dangerous temperature levels, which could result in thermal damage. Another aim is to relate the modelling of the CO2 fibre laser interaction to the pain response and compare these results with practical measurements of the pain threshold for various stimulus parameters. The system will also allow us to maintain a constant skin temperature during the stimulus. Another aim of the experiments underway is to review the psychophysics for pain in human subjects, permitting an investigation of the relationship between temperature and perceived pain.

Posterior hypothalamic activation in paroxysmal hemicrania

OBJECTIVE

Paroxysmal hemicrania (PH) is a severe, strictly unilateral headache that lasts 2 to 30 minutes, occurs more than five times daily, is associated with trigeminal autonomic symptoms, and is exquisitely responsive to indomethacin. The purpose of the study was to determine the brain structures active in PH.

METHODS

Seven PH patients were studied using positron emission tomography (PET). Each patient was scanned in three states: (1) acute PH attack-off indomethacin; (2) pain-free-off indomethacin; and (3) pain-free after administration of intramuscular indomethacin 100 mg. The scan images were processed and analyzed using SPM99.

RESULTS

The study showed no significant activations during state 1 compared with state 2, but there was relative activation of the pain neuromatrix in both states 1 and 2 compared with state 3. This suggests that there is persistent activation of the pain neuromatrix during acute PH attacks and during interictal pain-free states off indomethacin that is deactivated by the administration of indomethacin. In addition, the untreated PH state was associated with significant activation of the contralateral posterior hypothalamus and contralateral ventral midbrain, which extended over the red nucleus and the substantia nigra.

INTERPRETATION

These activated subcortical structures may play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of this syndrome.

Hippocampal theta state in relation to formalin nociception

In the present study using extracellular electrophysiological recording techniques, we explored the temporal characteristics of hippocampal theta activation in relation to formalin nociception. Results indicate that, compared to hind paw injection of saline, formalin injection in behaving rat evoked biphasic increase in duration of dorsal CA1 theta. Such an increase broadly paralleled animal biphasic behavioral activation, especially lick and moment-to-moment agitated behaviors. Correspondingly, theta-modulated cell firing was observed following formalin injection in anesthetized rat. The formalin-induced theta activation in behaving rat was most marked during peak of theta activation in the 2nd theta state (11-40 min post-injection) comprising 73% of the time in the 5 min block. An increase in theta peak frequency was also observed with respect to pre-injection control. However, the peak of theta in the 2nd theta state mostly preceded the peak of lick and flinch of the affected paw. In the 41-60 min, following formalin injection while the animals displayed robust nociceptive flinching and lifting, the theta activity approached control levels. Furthermore, the theta peak frequency at peak of theta was higher than the corresponding values of sustained theta observed in correlation with the nociceptive behaviors; in contrast, high frequency theta rhythm was observed during formalin-induced other moment-to-moment agitated behaviors. These findings favor the notion that in the formalin model the theta state of the hippocampus reflects a neural drive that is dissociated from the duration of nociceptive experience and is not selective to the typical nociceptive indices of lick, flinch, and lift of the injured paw.

Acute opioid effects on human brain as revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging

Functional magnetic resonance imaging has been widely used to study brain activation induced either by specific sensory stimulation or motor or cognitive task performance. We demonstrate that functional magnetic resonance imaging can provide information of brain regions involved in opioid-induced central nervous system effects. The reproducibility of the responses in the predefined regions of interest was confirmed by repeated boluses of ultra-short acting mu-opioid receptor agonist remifentanil and saline. We report spatially and temporally detailed information after remifentanil administration. Areas rich in mu-opioid receptors showed strong activations, whereas primary somatosensory cortex that has the lowest density of mu-opioid receptors showed negligible activation. The cingulate, orbitofrontal, posterior parietal and insular cortices, and amygdala showed activation, which was temporally closely related to most subjective sensations that were strongest at 80 to 90 s after drug administration. These areas belong to a circuitry that modulates the affective experience of sensory stimuli.

Role of functional imaging in neurological disorders

Neuroimaging in recent years has greatly contributed to our understanding of a wide range of aspects related to central neurological diseases. These include the classification and localization of disease, such as in headache; the understanding of pathology, such as in Parkinson's disease (PD); the mechanisms of reorganization, such as in stroke and multiple sclerosis (MS); and the subclinical progress of disease, such as in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Apart from presurgical mapping, however, the clinical applications so far are limited. Nevertheless, functional imaging does enable the formulation of neurobiological hypotheses that can be tested clinically, and thus is well suited for testing classic clinical hypotheses about how the brain works. Understanding the mechanisms and sites of pathology, such as has been achieved in cluster headaches, facilitates the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Mechanisms of placebo analgesia: rACC recruitment of a subcortical antinociceptive network

Placebo analgesia is one of the most striking examples of the cognitive modulation of pain perception and the underlying mechanisms are finally beginning to be understood. According to pharmacological studies, the endogenous opioid system is essential for placebo analgesia. Recent functional imaging data provides evidence that the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) represents a crucial cortical area for this type of endogenous pain control. We therefore hypothesized that placebo analgesia recruits other brain areas outside the rACC and that interactions of the rACC with these brain areas mediate opioid-dependent endogenous antinociception as part of a top-down mechanism. Nineteen healthy subjects received and rated painful laser stimuli to the dorsum of both hands, one of them treated with a fake analgesic cream (placebo). Painful stimulation was preceded by an auditory cue, indicating the side of the next laser stimulation. BOLD-responses to the painful laser-stimulation during the placebo and no-placebo condition were assessed using event-related fMRI. After having confirmed placebo related activity in the rACC, a connectivity analysis identified placebo dependent contributions of rACC activity with bilateral amygdalae and the periaqueductal gray (PAG). This finding supports the view that placebo analgesia depends on the enhanced functional connectivity of the rACC with subcortical brain structures that are crucial for conditioned learning and descending inhibition of nociception.

Medication-overuse headache: similarities with drug addiction

Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is a clinically important entity and it is now well documented that the regular use of acute symptomatic medication by people with migraine or tension-type headache increases the risk of aggravation of the primary headache. MOH is one the most common causes of chronic migraine-like syndrome. In this article, we analyse the possible mechanisms that underlie sensitization in MOH by comparing these mechanisms with those reported for other forms of drug addiction. Moreover, the evidence for cognitive impulsivity in drug overuse in headache and in other forms of addiction associated with dysfunction of the frontostriatal system will be discussed. An integrative hypothesis for compulsive reward-seeking in MOH will be presented.

Brain processing of the signals ascending through unmyelinated C fibers in humans: an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate brain processing of the signals ascending from peripheral C and Adelta fibers evoked by phasic laser stimuli on the right hand in humans. The stimulation of both C and Adelta nociceptors activated the bilateral thalamus, bilateral secondary somatosensory cortex, right (ipsilateral) middle insula, and bilateral Brodmann's area (BA) 24/32, with the majority of activity found in the posterior portion of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). However, magnitude of activity in the right (ipsilateral) BA32/8/6, including dorsal parts in the anterior portion of the ACC (aACC) and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), and the bilateral anterior insula was significantly stronger following the stimulation of C nociceptors than Adelta nociceptors. It was concluded that the activation of C nociceptors, related to second pain, evokes different brain processing from that of Adelta nociceptors, related to first pain, probably due to the differences in the emotional and motivational aspects of either pain, which are mainly related to the aACC, pre-SMA, and anterior insula.

Functional brain imaging in hemicrania continua: implications for nosology and pathophysiology

Hemicrania continua is a strictly unilateral, continuous headache of mild to moderate intensity, with superimposed exacerbations of moderate to severe intensity that are accompanied by trigeminal autonomic features and migrainous symptoms. The syndrome is exquisitely responsive to indomethacin. Its clinical phenotype overlaps with that of the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias and migraine, in which the hypothalamus and the brain stem, respectively, have been postulated to play central pathophysiologic roles. A recent positron-emission tomography study of a cohort of patients with hemicrania continua demonstrated significant activation of the contralateral posterior hypothalamus and ipsilateral dorsal rostral pons in association with the headache of hemicrania continua. In addition, there was activation of the ipsilateral ventrolateral midbrain, which extended over the red nucleus and the substantia nigra and bilateral pontomedullary junction. No intracranial vessel dilatation was obvious.

Brain activity associated with painfully hot stimuli applied to the upper limb: a meta-analysis

The capacity of pain to alert against potential injury or focus attention on damaged tissue is enhanced by the intrinsically aversive nature of the experience. Finding methods to relieve pain will ultimately be facilitated by deeper understanding of the processes that contribute to the experience, and functional brain imaging has contributed substantially toward that end. An impressive body of literature has identified a distributed network of pain-related activity in the brain that is subject to considerable modulation by different stimulus parameters, contextual factors, and clinical conditions. The fundamental substrates of the pain network are yet to be distilled from the highly variable results of studies published thus far. Qualitative reviews of the pain-imaging literature have been contributory, but lack the greater surety of quantitative methods. We employ the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analytic technique to establish the most consistent activations among studies reporting brain responses subsequent to the application of noxious heat. A network of pain-related activity was replicated for stimuli to either upper limb that included two discernible regions of the mid-anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral thalami, insula, and opercula cortices, posterior parietal cortex, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, and cerebellum. The findings of the meta-analysis resonate with other streams of information that continue to enhance our understanding of pain in the brain. The results also point toward new areas of research that may be fruitful for the exploration of central pain processing.

The role of imaging in the pathophysiology and diagnosis of headache

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Functional neuroimaging in headache patients has revolutionized our understanding of these syndromes and provided unique insights into some of the most common maladies in humans, suggesting that at least migraine and cluster headache are driven primarily from the brain. This review highlights new studies and recent advances in studying headache using neuroimaging.

RECENT FINDINGS

Concerning the diagnostics of headache, an EFNS Task Force evaluated recently the usefulness of imaging procedures in non-acute headache patients on the basis of evidence from the literature and defined guidelines on when to use magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Regarding the pathophysiology of primary headache syndromes, repeated and independent findings reinforce the crucial role for the brainstem in acute and probably also in chronic migraine, and the hypothalamic grey in several trigemino-autonomic headaches. If further studies confirm these findings, a better understanding will be gained of where and how acute and preventive therapy can be targeted.

SUMMARY

Given the rapid advances in functional neuroimaging, in particular newer techniques such as voxel-based morphometry and magnetic resonance spectrometry, functional imaging continues to play a significant role and opens new avenues in targeting the neural substrates in individual primary headache syndromes.

Protein kinase A-dependent enhanced NMDA receptor function in pain-related synaptic plasticity in rat amygdala neurones

Mechanisms of pain-related plasticity in the amygdala, a key player in emotionality, were studied at the cellular and molecular levels in a model of arthritic pain. The influence of the arthritis pain state induced in vivo on synaptic transmission and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function was examined in vitro using whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings of neurones in the latero-capsular part of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), which is now defined as the 'nociceptive amygdala'. Synaptic transmission was evoked by electrical stimulation of afferents from the pontine parabrachial area (part of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway) in brain slices from control rats and from arthritic rats. This study shows that pain-related synaptic plasticity is accompanied by protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated enhanced NMDA-receptor function and increased phosphorylation of NMDA-receptor 1 (NR1) subunits. Synaptic plasticity in the arthritis pain model, but not normal synaptic transmission in control neurones, was inhibited by a selective NMDA receptor antagonist. Accordingly, an NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic component was recorded in neurones from arthritic animals, but not in control neurones, and was blocked by inhibition of PKA but not protein kinase C (PKC). Exogenous NMDA evoked a larger inward current in neurones from arthritic animals than in control neurones, indicating a postsynaptic effect. Paired-pulse facilitation, a measure of presynaptic mechanisms, was not affected by an NMDA-receptor antagonist. Increased levels of phosphorylated NR1 protein, but not of total NR1, were measured in the CeA of arthritic rats compared to controls. Our results suggest that pain-related synaptic plasticity in the amygdala involves a critical switch of postsynaptic NMDA receptor function through PKA-dependent NR1 phosphorylation.

Effects of electroacupuncture versus manual acupuncture on the human brain as measured by fMRI

The goal of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was to compare the central effects of electroacupuncture at different frequencies with traditional Chinese manual acupuncture. Although not as time-tested as manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture does have the advantage of setting stimulation frequency and intensity objectively and quantifiably. Manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture at 2 Hz and 100 Hz, and tactile control stimulation were carried out at acupoint ST-36. Overall, electroacupuncture (particularly at low frequency) produced more widespread fMRI signal increase than manual acupuncture did, and all acupuncture stimulations produced more widespread responses than did our placebo-like tactile control stimulation. Acupuncture produced hemodynamic signal increase in the anterior insula, and decrease in limbic and paralimbic structures including the amygdala, anterior hippocampus, and the cortices of the subgenual and retrosplenial cingulate, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, frontal, and temporal poles, results not seen for tactile control stimulation. Only electroacupuncture produced significant signal increase in the anterior middle cingulate cortex, whereas 2-Hz electroacupuncture produced signal increase in the pontine raphe area. All forms of stimulation (acupuncture and control) produced signal increase in SII. These findings support a hypothesis that the limbic system is central to acupuncture effect regardless of specific acupuncture modality, although some differences do exist in the underlying neurobiologic mechanisms for these modalities, and may aid in optimizing their future usage in clinical applications.

Human brain mechanisms of pain perception and regulation in health and disease

CONTEXT

The perception of pain due to an acute injury or in clinical pain states undergoes substantial processing at supraspinal levels. Supraspinal, brain mechanisms are increasingly recognized as playing a major role in the representation and modulation of pain experience. These neural mechanisms may then contribute to interindividual variations and disabilities associated with chronic pain conditions.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the literature regarding how activity in diverse brain regions creates and modulates the experience of acute and chronic pain states, emphasizing the contribution of various imaging techniques to emerging concepts.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE and PRE-MEDLINE searches were performed to identify all English-language articles that examine human brain activity during pain, using hemodynamic (PET, fMRI), neuroelectrical (EEG, MEG) and neurochemical methods (MRS, receptor binding and neurotransmitter modulation), from January 1, 1988 to March 1, 2003. Additional studies were identified through bibliographies.

STUDY SELECTION

Studies were selected based on consensus across all four authors. The criteria included well-designed experimental procedures, as well as landmark studies that have significantly advanced the field.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Sixty-eight hemodynamic studies of experimental pain in normal subjects, 30 in clinical pain conditions, and 30 using neuroelectrical methods met selection criteria and were used in a meta-analysis. Another 24 articles were identified where brain neurochemistry of pain was examined. Technical issues that may explain differences between studies across laboratories are expounded. The evidence for and the respective incidences of brain areas constituting the brain network for acute pain are presented. The main components of this network are: primary and secondary somatosensory, insular, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortices (S1, S2, IC, ACC, PFC) and thalamus (Th). Evidence for somatotopic organization, based on 10 studies, and psychological modulation, based on 20 studies, is discussed, as well as the temporal sequence of the afferent volley to the cortex, based on neuroelectrical studies. A meta-analysis highlights important methodological differences in identifying the brain network underlying acute pain perception. It also shows that the brain network for acute pain perception in normal subjects is at least partially distinct from that seen in chronic clinical pain conditions and that chronic pain engages brain regions critical for cognitive/emotional assessments, implying that this component of pain may be a distinctive feature between chronic and acute pain. The neurochemical studies highlight the role of opiate and catecholamine transmitters and receptors in pain states, and in the modulation of pain with environmental and genetic influences.

CONCLUSIONS

The nociceptive system is now recognized as a sensory system in its own right, from primary afferents to multiple brain areas. Pain experience is strongly modulated by interactions of ascending and descending pathways. Understanding these modulatory mechanisms in health and in disease is critical for developing fully effective therapies for the treatment of clinical pain conditions.

Posterior hypothalamic and brainstem activation in hemicrania continua

OBJECTIVE

To determine the brain structures involved in mediating the pain of hemicrania continua using positron emission tomography.

BACKGROUND

Hemicrania continua is a strictly unilateral, continuous headache of moderate intensity, with superimposed exacerbations of severe intensity that are accompanied by trigeminal autonomic features and migrainous symptoms. The syndrome is exquisitely responsive to indomethacin. Its clinical phenotype overlaps with that of the trigeminal autonomic headaches and migraine in which the hypothalamus and the brainstem, respectively, have been postulated to play central pathophysiologic roles. We hypothesized, based on the clinical phenotype, that hemicrania continua may involve activations in the hypothalamus, or dorsal rostral pons, or both.

METHODS

Seven patients with hemicrania continua were studied in two sessions each. In one session, the patients were scanned during baseline pain and when rendered completely pain free after being administered indomethacin 100 mg intramuscularly. In the other session, the patients were scanned during baseline pain and when still in pain after being administered placebo intramuscularly. Seven age- and sex-matched nonheadache subjects acted as the control group. The scan images were processed and analyzed using SPM99.

RESULTS

There was a significant activation of the contralateral posterior hypothalamus and ipsilateral dorsal rostral pons in association with the headache of hemicrania continua. In addition, there was activation of the ipsilateral ventrolateral midbrain, which extended over the red nucleus and the substantia nigra, and bilateral pontomedullary junction. No intracranial vessel dilatation was obvious.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated activations of various subcortical structures, in particular the posterior hypothalamus and the dorsal rostral pons. If posterior hypothalamic and brainstem activation are considered as markers of trigeminal autonomic headaches and migrainous syndromes, respectively, then the activation pattern demonstrated in hemicrania continua mirrors the clinical phenotype, with its overlap with trigeminal autonomic headaches and migraine.

Topography of cortico-striatal connections in man: anatomical evidence for parallel organization

Tracing studies in non-human primates support the existence of several parallel neuronal circuits involving cerebral cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus. Distinct functional loops were proposed to underlie multiple aspects of normal and pathological behaviour in man. We present here the first anatomical evidence for separate corticostriatal systems in humans. Neural connections of the sensorimotor and prefrontal cortex to the striatum were studied in one human brain using the Nauta method for anterogradely degenerating axons. Axons originating from a lesion in the left sensorimotor cortex, including the face area, were found to terminate in the superolateral part of the ipsilateral putamen, forming a narrow band in its posterior part. Inside the band, the distribution of degenerating axons was inhomogeneous; high-density clusters of approximately 2.5 mm in diameter were separated by regions with less dense cortical projections. Axons originating from a small lesion in the fundus of the right superior frontal sulcus were found in the upper part of the ipsilateral caudate nucleus. The existence of discrete and anatomically segregated terminal patches originating from distinct cortical regions suggests parallel organization of cortico-striatal connections in man.

Somatotopic organization of human somatosensory cortices for pain: a single trial fMRI study

The ability to locate pain plays a pivotal role in immediate defense and withdrawal behavior. However, how the brain localizes nociceptive information without additional information from somatotopically organized mechano-receptive pathways is not well understood. To investigate the somatotopic organization of the nociceptive system, we applied Thulium-YAG-laser evoked pain stimuli, which have no concomitant tactile component, to the dorsum of the left hand and foot in randomized order. We used single-trial functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess differential hemodynamic responses to hand and foot stimulation for the group and in a single subject approach. The primary somatosensory cortex (SI) shows a clear somatotopic organization ipsi- and contralaterally to painful stimulation. Furthermore, a differential representation of hand and foot stimulation appeared within the contralateral opercular--insular region of the secondary somatosensory cortex (SII). This result provides evidence that both SI and SII encode spatial information of nociceptive stimuli without additional information from the tactile system and highlights the concept of a redundant representation of basic discriminative stimulus features in human somatosensory cortices, which seems adequate in view of the evolutionary importance of pain perception.

Cerebellar neural responses related to actively and passively applied noxious thermal stimulation in human subjects: a parametric fMRI study

Cerebellar activation is consistently found during noxious stimulation but little is known about its pain-related specificity. Under natural circumstances noxious stimuli are actively or passively delivered with concomitant tactile sensory stimulation. Using fMRI we therefore studied pain-related cerebellar activation with innocuous and noxious thermal stimuli in a parametric design taking motor execution as confounding factor into account. With respect to psychophysical pain ratings anterior vermal and ipsilateral hemispheric lobule VI activation was parametrically modulated for stimulus intensity in actively but not in passively elicited thermal stimulation. The cerebellum seems to be capable of distinguishing active from passive painful stimuli.

The amygdala and persistent pain

A reciprocal relationship exists between persistent pain and negative affective states such as fear, anxiety, and depression. Accumulating evidence points to the amygdala as an important site of such interaction. Whereas a key role of the amygdala in the neuronal mechanisms of emotionality and affective disorders has been well established, the concept of the amygdala as an important contributor to pain and its emotional component is still emerging. This article will review and discuss evidence from anatomical, neuroimaging, behavioral, electrophysiological, pharmacological, and biochemical data that implicate the amygdala in pain modulation and emotional responses to pain. The latero-capsular division of the central nucleus of the amygdala is now defined as the "nociceptive amygdala" and integrates nociceptive information with poly-modal information about the internal and external bodily environment. Dependent on environmental conditions and affective states, the amygdala appears to play a dual facilitatory and inhibitory role in the modulation of pain behavior and nociceptive processing at different levels of the pain neuraxis. Only recently, electrophysiological, pharmacological, and biochemical neuroplastic changes were shown in the nociceptive amygdala in persistent pain. It is conceivable, however, that amygdala plasticity plays an important role in emotional pain behavior and its modulation by affective state.

Enhanced group III mGluR-mediated inhibition of pain-related synaptic plasticity in the amygdala

Pain has a strong emotional component. A key player in emotionality, the amygdala is also involved in pain processing. Our previous studies showed synaptic plasticity in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in a model of arthritic pain. Here, we address the role of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in the regulation of synaptic transmission in CeA neurons. Whole-cell current- and voltage-clamp recordings were made from neurons in the latero-capsular part of the CeA in brain slices from control rats and arthritic rats (>6 h postinduction). The latero-capsular part of the CeA is the target of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway and is now designated as the "nociceptive amygdala". Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were evoked by electrical stimulation of afferents from the pontine parabrachial (PB) area. LAP4 decreased the amplitude of EPSCs more potently in CeA neurons from arthritic rats (EC(50)=1.2 nM) than in control animals (EC(50)=11.5 nM). The inhibitory effect of LAP4 was reversed by a selective group III mGluR antagonist (UBP1112). During the application of LAP4, paired-pulse facilitation was increased, while no significant changes in slope conductance and action potential firing rate of CeA neurons were observed. These data suggest that presynaptic group III mGluRs are involved in the regulation of synaptic plasticity in the amygdala in an arthritis pain model.

Somatotopic representation of nociceptive information in the putamen: an event-related fMRI study

The ability to locate pain plays a pivotal role in immediate defence and withdrawal behaviour. However, it is unclear to what extent nociceptive information is relayed to and processed in subcortical structures relevant for motor preparation and possibly the generation of withdrawal behaviour. We used single-trial functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess whether nociceptive information is represented in the putamen in a somatotopic manner. We therefore applied thulium-YAG laser-evoked pain stimuli, which had no concomitant tactile component, to the dorsum of the left hand and foot to 15 healthy subjects in a randomized order. In addition, 11 subjects were stimulated on the right body side. Differential representations of hand- and foot-related blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses within the putamen were assessed using a single subject approach. Nociceptive stimuli significantly activated the putamen bilaterally. However, a somatotopic organization for hand- and foot-related responses was only present in the contralateral putamen. Here the foot was located anteriorly and medially to the hand, which parallels results from anatomical and microstimulation studies in monkeys and also human imaging data on the arrangement of movement related activity in the putamen. This result provides evidence for the hypothesis that behaviourally relevant nociceptive information without additional information from the tactile system is represented in the putamen and made available for pain related motor responses.

Brainstem involvement in the initial response to pain

The autonomic responses to acute pain exposure usually habituate rapidly while the subjective ratings of pain remain high for more extended periods of time. Thus, systems involved in the autonomic response to painful stimulation, for example the hypothalamus and the brainstem, would be expected to attenuate the response to pain during prolonged stimulation. This suggestion is in line with the hypothesis that the brainstem is specifically involved in the initial response to pain. To probe this hypothesis, we performed a positron emission tomography (PET) study where we scanned subjects during the first and second minute of a prolonged tonic painful cold stimulation (cold pressor test) and nonpainful cold stimulation. Galvanic skin response (GSR) was recorded during the PET scanning as an index of autonomic sympathetic response. In the main effect of pain, we observed increased activity in the thalamus bilaterally, in the contralateral insula and in the contralateral anterior cingulate cortex but no significant increases in activity in the primary or secondary somatosensory cortex. The autonomic response (GSR) decreased with stimulus duration. Concomitant with the autonomic response, increased activity was observed in brainstem and hypothalamus areas during the initial vs. the late stimulation. This effect was significantly stronger for the painful than for the cold stimulation. Activity in the brainstem showed pain-specific covariation with areas involved in pain processing, indicating an interaction between the brainstem and cortical pain networks. The findings indicate that areas in the brainstem are involved in the initial response to noxious stimulation, which is also characterized by an increased sympathetic response.

Decrease in non-selective, non-sustained attention induced by a chronic visceral inflammatory state as a new pain evaluation in rats

The aim of this study was to develop a new behavioral pain test based on the evaluation of cognitive capacity impairments in rats with colitis and to determine the impact of different acute analgesic treatments. Colitis was induced in rats by an enema containing 2,4,6-trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid. Visual non-selective, non-sustained attentional level was assessed by a new behavioral testing procedure. Animals were familiarized on three consecutive days with an open field containing four small, similar, familiar objects. On the day of testing, one of the objects was randomly replaced by a new one. Attentional level was determined by the ability of the rat to perceive this small modification to its familiar environment. The effect of morphine, acetaminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen treatment was assessed on testing day and compared with that observed during a Von Frey test to assess referred tactile hypersensitivity of the skin of the lower back. Rats with colitis had decreased attentional level but no change in their locomotor activity, interest in the environment or memory encoding. Morphine (1 mg/kg, s.c. and 10 microg/rat, i.t.) and acetaminophen (200 mg/kg, p.o.) had a beneficial effect on attentional level and on referred tactile hypersensitivity. Testing for the latter showed that aspirin and ibuprofen (400 mg/kg, p.o.) were ineffective. The decrease in visual non-selective, non-sustained attention induced by chronic inflammatory painful state can be relieved by effective analgesic treatments. This finding could lead to the development of a new behavioral test to assess spontaneous pain in chronic painful subjects.

Nociception-driven decreased induction of Fos protein in ventral hippocampus field CA1 of the rat

To test the hypothesis that the hippocampus field CA1 is recruited in nociceptive intensity-dependent fashion in the formalin model of inflammatory pain, we determined the effect of injection of formalin (0.625-2.5%) on the induction of Fos protein along the length of the hippocampus. Compared to injection of saline, injection of formalin (0.625-2.5%) evoked a concentration-dependent increase in nociceptive behavior and a significant linear increase in the number of Fos-positive cells in the spinal cord, especially in the deeper laminae. Injection of saline also increased induction of Fos along the length of hippocampus. On the other hand, injection of formalin decreased the number of Fos-positive cells in whole CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus, with a greater significant effect in the posterior-ventral regions of the hippocampus. Indeed, a formalin concentration-dependent decrease was observed in the ventral CA1. A systematic pattern of change in Fos induction was not observed in the medial septum region. Of the regions examined, only the formalin-induced changes in Fos cell counts in the posterior and ventral CA1 were tightly correlated with the changes observed in the spinal cord. The foregoing findings suggest that nociceptive information is processed in distributed fashion by the hippocampus, and at least the ventral CA1 is implicated in nociceptive intensity-dependent integrative functions.