Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats
Published on: January 21, 2020
Pain and plasticity: is chronic pain always associated with somatosensory cortex activity and reorganization?
Sylvia M Gustin1, Chris C Peck, Lukas B Cheney
1Discipline of Anatomy and Histology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
Abstract:
The somatosensory cortex remodels in response to sensory deprivation, with regions deprived of input invaded by neighboring representations. The degree of cortical reorganization is correlated with ongoing pain intensity, which has led to the assumption that chronic pain conditions are invariably associated with somatosensory cortex reorganization. Because the presentation and etiology of chronic pain vary, we determined whether cortical changes in human subjects are similar for differing pain types. Using functional and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging, we found that, while human patients with neuropathic pain displayed cortical reorganization and changes in somatosensory cortex activity, patients with non-neuropathic chronic pain did not. Furthermore, cortical reorganization in neuropathic pain patients was associated with changes in regional anatomy. These data, by showing that pain per se is not associated with cortical plasticity, suggest that treatments aimed at reversing cortical reorganization should only be considered for use in patients with certain types of chronic pain.
Related Concept Videos
Somatosensation
Nociception
Pain
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
Analgesia and Pain Management

