Insights into the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain through functional brain imaging

We present here an example case of neuropathic pain with heat allodynia as a major symptom to illustrate how the functional imaging of pain may provide new insights into the pathophysiology of painful sensory disorders. Tissue injury of almost any kind, but especially peripheral or central neural tissue injury, can lead to long-lasting spinal and supraspinal re-organization that includes the forebrain. These forebrain changes may be adaptive and facilitate functional recovery, or they may be maladaptive, preventing or prolonging the painful condition, and interfering with treatment. In an experimental model of heat allodynia, we used functional brain imaging to show that: (1) the forebrain activity during heat allodynia is different from that during normal heat pain, and (2) during heat allodynia, specific cortical areas, specifically the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, can attenuate specific components of the pain experience, such as affect, by reducing the functional connectivity of subcortical pathways. The forebrain of patients with chronic neuropathic pain may undergo pathologically induced changes that can impair the clinical response to all forms of treatment. Functional imaging, including PET, fMRI, and neurophysiological techniques, should help identify brain mechanisms that are critical targets for more effective and more specific treatments for chronic, neuropathic pain.