Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Acute and Chronic Tactile Sensory Testing after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats
Published on: April 4, 2012
Spinal cord response to stepwise and block presentation of thermal stimuli: a functional MRI study
Rachael L Bosma1, Patrick W Stroman
1Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Purpose:
To examine the characteristics of the spinal cord and brainstem blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses to peripheral stimulation in which the temperature is raised in a stepwise fashion, in order to enhance receptor responses, compared to a block design.
Materials And Methods:
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the spinal cord and brainstem were carried out in 14 healthy volunteers at 3T. Thermal sensory stimuli were applied to the right hand in a block-design paradigm, and in a stepwise paradigm to the same peak temperature. Data were analyzed by means of a general linear model, region of interest analyses, and by structural equation modeling.
Results:
Results demonstrated BOLD responses in a number of consistent regions between the two paradigms as well as significant differences (P < .001) in the locations and magnitudes of some responses. Specifically, the BOLD response in the dorsal horn was significantly higher in the stepwise compared to the block condition (P < .001). However, more significant connections (T >2) between regions were observed in the block condition.
Conclusion:
Results from this study demonstrate the means to design thermal sensory paradigms to probe components of sensory processing in the brainstem and spinal cord.
Related Concept Videos
Thermosensation
Spinal Cord: Information Processing
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 Pathways
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Spinal Cord
Somatosensation

