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Aversive faces activate pain responsive regions in the brain
Andreas Heckel1, Christoph Rothmayr, Katharina Rosengarth
1Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Regensburg, Germany. heckelandreas@googlemail.com
Neuroreport
|June 16, 2011
Summary
Social distress and physical pain share overlapping neural pathways. This study found that viewing emotional faces activated brain regions typically associated with pain processing, suggesting a shared neural basis for these experiences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Pain Research
Background:
- Growing evidence suggests overlap in neural systems for processing pain and social distress.
- Understanding this overlap is crucial for comprehending the complex interplay between emotional and physical suffering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interplay between psychosocial stress (emotional faces) and somatic pain within common pain-responsive brain regions.
- To identify how the brain processes these distinct stressors in conjunction.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- A factorial design combined a psychosocial stressor (viewing emotional faces) with a somatic stressor (moderate heat pain).
- Pain-responsive regions of interest (insula, SII cortex, thalamus) were identified via a localizer experiment.
Main Results:
- The psychosocial stressor (faces) activated pain-responsive regions, including the insula, SII cortex, and thalamus.
- Hemodynamic responses to both pain and psychosocial stress tended to aggregate in a compressive manner within these regions.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the hypothesis of shared neural substrates for processing physical pain and psychosocial distress.
- Emotional stimuli can engage brain areas typically involved in somatic pain perception.
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