Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nociception01:44

Nociception

Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain. Thus, pain helps the...
Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers01:24

Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers

Local anesthetics (LAs) block the sodium channels of nerve trunks, sensory nerve endings, and neuromuscular junctions. Although LAs can block all kinds of nerves, the sensitivity of nerve fibers differs according to nerve types and structures. LAs are known to block myelinated fibers faster than unmyelinated ones. Also, they block pain or sensory neurons at low concentrations without affecting the motor neurons involved in muscle contractions. This helps relieve labor pain without affecting the...
Spinal Cord: Information Processing01:10

Spinal Cord: Information Processing

The spinal cord is an integral hub for motor and sensory information that enables the brain to communicate with the peripheral nervous system (PNS). This communication consists of relaying sensory data and transmission of motor commands.
Sensory Information Processing
Sensory information processing begins at the sensory receptors located in the skin and other tissues, which detect somatic sensory stimuli such as touch, temperature, or pain. These receptors function as catalysts, initiating...
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Empathy02:34

Empathy

Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Shared and specific associations of amygdala nuclei volumes with PTSD symptom domains and childhood trauma: An ENIGMA-PGC PTSD mega-analysis.

Molecular psychiatry·2026
Same author

Investigation of the impact of rs3025343 near the dopamine ß-hydroxylase (<i>DBH</i>) gene on reward-related responses within the mesolimbic dopamine system.

The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry·2026
Same author

Long-term stability of perceived childhood trauma in individuals with borderline personality disorder.

European journal of psychotraumatology·2026
Same author

[Digital applications in the treatment of adolescent patients with borderline personality disorder].

Der Nervenarzt·2026
Same author

Childhood Maltreatment and Deviations From Normative Brain Structure: A Mega-Analysis of 3711 Individuals From the ENIGMA Major Depressive Disorder and ENIGMA Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Working Groups.

Biological psychiatry·2026
Same author

Dissociative Identity Disorder and Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Deutsches Arzteblatt international·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Novel Surgical Rodent Model for Studying Neuroma Pain Treatment Options using Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Through the Saphenous Nerve
07:00

Novel Surgical Rodent Model for Studying Neuroma Pain Treatment Options using Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Through the Saphenous Nerve

Published on: November 14, 2025

COMT val158met polymorphism and neural pain processing.

Christian Schmahl1, Petra Ludäscher, Wolfgang Greffrath

  • 1Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany.

Plos One
|January 17, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) val158met polymorphism influences neural pain processing. This genetic variation impacts cognitive pain aspects in healthy individuals and affective pain processing in Borderline Personality Disorder patients.

More Related Videos

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
07:09

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice

Published on: July 16, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 25, 2026

Novel Surgical Rodent Model for Studying Neuroma Pain Treatment Options using Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Through the Saphenous Nerve
07:00

Novel Surgical Rodent Model for Studying Neuroma Pain Treatment Options using Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Through the Saphenous Nerve

Published on: November 14, 2025

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
07:09

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice

Published on: July 16, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • A functional polymorphism (val158met) in the Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene affects emotional processing and pain regulation.
  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is associated with altered pain sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of the COMT val158met polymorphism on neural pain processing in healthy individuals and BPD patients.
  • To explore the relationship between genotype and pain sensitivity in different populations.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 50 females (25 BPD patients, 25 healthy controls).
  • Genotyping for the COMT val158met polymorphism was performed.
  • Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity (BOLD response) during pain processing.

Main Results:

  • The COMT val158met genotype significantly, though moderately, affected pain sensitivity in healthy individuals.
  • In healthy participants, the number of val alleles correlated with BOLD response in cognitive pain processing regions (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex).
  • In BPD patients, the number of val alleles correlated with BOLD signal in affective pain processing regions (e.g., anterior and posterior insula).

Conclusions:

  • The COMT val158met polymorphism significantly contributes to inter-individual differences in neural pain processing.
  • The polymorphism's association with pain processing differs between healthy individuals (cognitive aspects) and BPD patients (affective aspects).