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Prestimulus functional connectivity determines pain perception in humans.

Markus Ploner¹, Michael C Lee, Katja Wiech

¹Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain, Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, UK. ploner@lrz.tum.de

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|December 2, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Individual pain perception is linked to brain connectivity. Before a painful stimulus, the connection between the anterior insular cortex and brainstem predicts pain experience, influenced by personality traits like anxiety.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Pain Research

Background:

Pain perception is subjective and influenced by individual susceptibility and personality.
The neural mechanisms linking pain susceptibility, personality, and brain activity remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how functional brain connectivity before a sensory event relates to pain susceptibility.
To explore the connection between prestimulus functional connectivity, pain perception, and personality traits.

Main Methods:

Functional connectivity analysis of brain areas involved in body perception and pain modulation.
Assessment of prestimulus functional connectivity between the anterior insular cortex and brainstem.
Correlation of connectivity patterns with pain perception and personality assessments.

Main Results:

Prestimulus functional connectivity between the anterior insular cortex and brainstem predicts the perception of noxious stimuli as painful.
Weaker descending connectivity to pain modulatory areas was observed in more anxious and pain-attentive individuals.
Functional connectivity patterns explain personality-related differences in pain susceptibility.

Conclusions:

Functional connectivity, particularly between the anterior insular cortex and brainstem, is a key determinant of pain perception.
Personality traits, such as anxiety, are associated with altered functional brain connectivity relevant to pain modulation.
Variations in functional connectivity underlie individual differences in susceptibility to pain.