[Progress in the study of pain by brain imaging]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pain Research
• Brain Imaging

Context:

• Functional brain imaging provides insights into the neural underpinnings of pain.
• Understanding pain involves dissecting its sensory, cognitive, and emotional components.
• Neuropathic pain presents unique challenges in neurobiological research.

Purpose:

• To review recent functional brain imaging studies on pain.
• To delineate brain regions involved in different pain components.
• To discuss brain imaging findings in clinical pain populations, particularly neuropathic pain.

Summary:

• The sensory-discriminative aspects of pain correlate with the lateral thalamus, somatosensory areas, and insular cortices.
• Posterior parietal and prefrontal cortices are implicated in the cognitive-attentional processing of nociceptive information.
• Anterior cingulate gyrus subregions are linked to the cognitive and emotional dimensions of pain.

Impact:

• This review consolidates current knowledge on the neurobiology of pain.
• It highlights the complex neural networks involved in pain processing.
• Findings contribute to a better understanding of pain mechanisms, relevant for clinical conditions like neuropathic pain.