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Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity
Published on: January 21, 2017
Parsing pain perception between nociceptive representation and magnitude estimation
M N Baliki1, P Y Geha, A V Apkarian
1Department of Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|December 17, 2008
Summary
This study reveals a brain region in the insula that processes subjective magnitude for both pain and vision. This multisensory area is crucial for assessing "how much" we perceive, integrating sensory information for survival.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Perception
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Subjective magnitude assessment is vital for survival.
- A central multisensory module for magnitude is hypothesized.
- Pain perception involves stimulus intensity assessment, likely engaging such a module.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity during pain and visual magnitude ratings.
- To identify brain regions involved in subjective magnitude assessment.
- To investigate the role of the insular cortex in multisensory magnitude processing.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare brain activity during pain and visual magnitude ratings.
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to examine white matter connectivity.
- 14 subjects underwent fMRI, and 11 subjects underwent DTI.
Main Results:
- Brain activations segregated into pain-specific regions (nociception) and regions for both pain and visual magnitude (attention/task control).
- The insular cortex showed distinct pain-specific and multisensory magnitude areas.
- Anatomical connectivity from DTI corresponded to functional connectivity found via fMRI.
Conclusions:
- Pain perception involves transforming nociceptive input into subjective magnitude assessment within the insula.
- A multisensory cortical area for "how much" has been identified, analogous to visual "where" and "what" pathways.
- The insula plays a key role in integrating sensory information for magnitude perception.
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