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Shared "core" areas between the pain and other task-related networks
Franco Cauda1, Diana M-E Torta, Katiuscia Sacco
1CCS fMRI, Koelliker Hospital, Turin, Italy. franco.cauda@unito.it
Plos One
|August 18, 2012
Summary
The brain’s pain processing network is not a distinct
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The concept of a specific 'pain matrix' for nociception is debated.
- Alternative models suggest overlapping brain regions involved in defensive systems.
- Key areas include somatosensory cortices (SI, SII), insula, and cingulate cortex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the roles of SI, SII, insula, and cingulate cortex in various cognitive and sensory tasks.
- To identify overlapping functional networks related to nociception, attention, emotion, and interoception.
- To propose an alternative framework for understanding these brain regions' functions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on nociceptive and tactile perception.
- Analysis of functional roles in attentional, emotional, reward, interoception, and memory tasks.
- Examination of overlapping network activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
Main Results:
- Significant overlap identified in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula, and dorsal medial thalamus.
- The 'pain-related' network shares functional similarities with somatomotor-somatosensory and emotional-interoceptive networks.
- These overlapping areas are highly active across various fMRI tasks, indicating a central role.
Conclusions:
- The reviewed brain regions form a core adaptive control system for processing salient external and internal information.
- This system integrates sensory, emotional, and attentional data.
- These areas are crucial for switching between externally and internally directed brain network activity.
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