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Qian H, Shao M, Wei Z, Zhang Y, Liu S, Chen L, Meng J. Intact painful sensation but enhanced non-painful sensation in individuals with autistic traits. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1432149. [PMID: 39045552 PMCID: PMC11263351 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1432149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Somatosensory abnormalities are commonly recognized as diagnostic criteria in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and may also exist in individuals with autistic traits. The present research included two studies to explore the painful and non-painful sensation and their cognitive-neurological mechanisms of individuals with autistic traits. Study 1 included 358 participants to assess the relationship between autistic traits and pain/non-pain sensitivities using questionnaires: the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire, and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale, respectively. Study 1 found that autistic traits were positively correlated with non-pain sensitivity, but not associated with pain sensitivity. Study 2 recruited 1,167 participants whose autistic traits were assessed using the AQ. Subsequently, thirty-three participants who scored within the top 10% and bottom 10% on the AQ were selected into High-AQ and Low-AQ groups, respectively, to explore the cognitive-neural responses of individuals with autistic traits to both painful and non-painful stimuli with event-related potential (ERP) technology. Results of Study 2 showed that the High-AQ group showed higher intensity ratings, more negative emotional reactions, and larger N1 amplitudes than the Low-AQ group to the non-painful stimuli, but no difference of response to the painful stimuli was found between High-AQ and Low-AQ groups. These findings suggest that individuals with autistic traits may experience enhanced non-painful sensation but intact painful sensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiling Qian
- Research Center for Brain and Cognitive Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Min Shao
- Research Center for Brain and Cognitive Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zilong Wei
- Research Center for Brain and Cognitive Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yudie Zhang
- Research Center for Brain and Cognitive Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Shuqin Liu
- Research Center for Brain and Cognitive Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Research Center for Brain and Cognitive Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jing Meng
- Research Center for Brain and Cognitive Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
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2
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Kittleson AR, Woodward ND, Heckers S, Sheffield JM. The insula: Leveraging cellular and systems-level research to better understand its roles in health and schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 160:105643. [PMID: 38531518 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a highly heterogeneous disorder characterized by a multitude of complex and seemingly non-overlapping symptoms. The insular cortex has gained increasing attention in neuroscience and psychiatry due to its involvement in a diverse range of fundamental human experiences and behaviors. This review article provides an overview of the insula's cellular and anatomical organization, functional and structural connectivity, and functional significance. Focusing on specific insula subregions and using knowledge gained from humans and preclinical studies of insular tracings in non-human primates, we review the literature and discuss the functional roles of each subregion, including in somatosensation, interoception, salience processing, emotional processing, and social cognition. Building from this foundation, we then extend these findings to discuss reported abnormalities of these functions in individuals with schizophrenia, implicating insular involvement in schizophrenia pathology. This review underscores the insula's vast role in the human experience and how abnormal insula structure and function could result in the wide-ranging symptoms observed in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Kittleson
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37235, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
| | - Neil D Woodward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
| | - Julia M Sheffield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
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3
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Pavy F, Zaman J, Von Leupoldt A, Torta DM. Expectations underlie the effects of unpredictable pain: a behavioral and electroencephalogram study. Pain 2024; 165:596-607. [PMID: 37703404 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Previous studies on the potential effects of unpredictability on pain perception and its neural correlates yielded divergent results. This study examined whether this may be explained by differences in acquired expectations. We presented 41 healthy volunteers with laser heat stimuli of different intensities. The stimuli were preceded either by predictable low, medium, or high cues or by unpredictable low-medium, medium-high, or low-high cues. We recorded self-reports of pain intensity and unpleasantness and laser-evoked potentials (LEPs). Furthermore, we investigated whether dynamic expectations that evolved throughout the experiment based on past trials were better predictors of pain ratings than fixed (nonevolving) expectations. Our results replicate previous findings that unpredictable pain is higher than predictable pain for low-intensity stimuli but lower for high-intensity stimuli. Moreover, we observed higher ratings for the medium-high unpredictable condition than the medium-low unpredictable condition, in line with an effect of expectation. We found significant interactions (N1, N2) for the LEP components between intensity and unpredictability. However, the few significant differences in LEP peak amplitudes between cue conditions did not survive correction for multiple testing. In line with predictive coding perspectives, pain ratings were best predicted by dynamic expectations. Surprisingly, expectations of reduced precision (increased variance) were associated with lower pain ratings. Our findings provide strong evidence that (dynamic) expectations contribute to the opposing effects of unpredictability on pain perception; therefore, we highlight the importance of controlling for them in pain unpredictability manipulations. We also suggest to conceptualize pain expectations more often as dynamic constructs incorporating previous experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Pavy
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jonas Zaman
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- School of Social Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Andreas Von Leupoldt
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diana M Torta
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
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4
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Cormie MA, Moayedi M. Selective noninvasive modulation of insular subregions supports differential functions in the pain experience. Pain 2024:00006396-990000000-00506. [PMID: 38314822 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Alexander Cormie
- Centre for Multimodal Sensorimotor and Pain Research, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Massieh Moayedi
- Centre for Multimodal Sensorimotor and Pain Research, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Dentistry, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
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5
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Li J, Yang H, Xiao Y, Liu X, Ma B, Ma K, Hu L, Lu X. The analgesic effects and neural oscillatory mechanisms of virtual reality scenes based on distraction and mindfulness strategies in human volunteers. Br J Anaesth 2023; 131:1082-1092. [PMID: 37798154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used as a non-pharmacological adjunct to pain management. However, there is no consensus on what type of VR content is the best for pain alleviation and by what means VR modulates pain perception. We used three experiments to explore the analgesic effect of VR scenes in healthy adult volunteers. METHODS We first compared the effect of immersive VR on pain perception with active (i.e. non-immersive, two-dimensional video) and passive (i.e. no VR or audiovisual input) controls at both subjective perceptual (Experiment 1) and electrophysiological (electroencephalography) levels (Experiment 2), and then explored possible analgesic mechanisms responsible for VR scenes conveying different strategies (e.g. exploration or mindfulness; Experiment 3). RESULTS The multisensory experience of the VR environment lowered pain intensity and unpleasantness induced by contact heat stimuli when compared with two control conditions (P=0.001 and P<0.001, respectively). The reduced pain intensity rating correlated with decreased P2 amplitude (r=0.433, P<0.001) and increased pre-stimulus spontaneous gamma oscillations (r=-0.339, P=0.004) by 32-channel electroencephalography. A VR exploration scene induced a strong sense of immersion that was associated with increased pre-stimulus gamma oscillations (r=0.529, P<0.001), whereas a VR mindfulness meditation scene had a minor effect on immersive feelings but induced strong pre-stimulus alpha oscillations (r=-0.550, P<0.001), which led to a comparable analgesic effect. CONCLUSIONS Distinct neural mechanisms are responsible for VR-induced analgesia, deepening our understanding of the analgesic benefits of VR and its neural electrophysiological correlates. These findings support further development of digital healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haoyu Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yian Xiao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Liu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Bingjie Ma
- Department of Pain Management, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ke Ma
- Department of Pain Management, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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6
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Zamorano AM, Kleber B, Arguissain F, Boudreau S, Vuust P, Flor H, Graven-Nielsen T. Extensive Sensorimotor Training Predetermines Central Pain Changes During the Development of Prolonged Muscle Pain. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2023; 24:1039-1055. [PMID: 36720295 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Repetitive movements (RM) are a main risk factor for musculoskeletal pain, which is partly explained by the overloading of musculoskeletal structures. However, RM may also drive brain plasticity, leading to maladaptive changes in sensorimotor areas and altered pain processing. This study aimed to understand whether individuals performing extensive RM (musicians) exhibit altered brain processing to prolonged experimental muscle pain. Nineteen healthy musicians and 20 healthy nontrained controls attended 3 sessions (Day 1-Day 3-Day 8). In each session, event-related potentials (ERPs) to non-nociceptive superficial and nociceptive intraepidermal electrical stimulation, reaction times, electrical detection thresholds, and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were recorded. In all participants, prolonged muscle pain was induced by intramuscular injection of nerve growth factor (NGF) into the right first dorsal interosseous muscle at the end of Day1. Pain intensity was assessed on a numerical rating scale (NRS) and was lower in musicians compared to non-musicians (P < .007). Moreover, in musicians, the higher amount of weekly training was associated with lower NRS pain scores on Day 3 to Day 8 (P < .037). Compared with Day1, NGF reduced PPTs on Day 3 to Day 8 (P < .001) and non-nociceptive P200 and P300 ERP amplitudes on Day 8 (P < .044) in both groups. Musicians compared to controls showed secondary hyperalgesia to electrical stimulation on Day 3 to Day 8 (P < .004) and reduced nociceptive P200 ERP amplitudes on Day 8 (P < .005). Across participants, ERP components correlated with pain detection reaction times, sensitivity (PPTs and electrical detection thresholds), and severity (NRS), (all P < .043). These results show that repetitive sensorimotor training leads to brain changes in the processing of prolonged pain, biasing the cortical response to nociceptive inputs. PERSPECTIVE: Repetitive sensorimotor training may increase the responsiveness of nociceptive inputs during the development of prolonged muscle pain. These novel data highlight the role of repetitive sensorimotor practice as a source for interindividual variability in central pain processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Zamorano
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
| | - Boris Kleber
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Federico Arguissain
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Shellie Boudreau
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Herta Flor
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark; Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Graven-Nielsen
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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7
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Zamorano AM, Kleber B, Arguissain F, Vuust P, Flor H, Graven-Nielsen T. Extensive sensorimotor training enhances nociceptive cortical responses in healthy individuals. Eur J Pain 2023; 27:257-277. [PMID: 36394423 PMCID: PMC10107321 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.2057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prolonged and repeated sensorimotor training is a crucial driver for promoting use-dependent plasticity, but also a main risk factor for developing musculoskeletal pain syndromes, yet the neural underpinnings that link repetitive movements to abnormal pain processing are unknown. METHODS Twenty healthy musicians, one of the best in vivo models to study use-dependent plasticity, and 20 healthy non-musicians were recruited. Perceptual thresholds, reaction times (RTs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded using nociceptive intra-epidermal and non-nociceptive transcutaneous electrical stimulation. RESULTS In response to comparable stimulus intensities, musicians compared to non-musicians showed larger non-nociceptive N140 (associated with higher activation of regions within the salience network), higher nociceptive N200 ERPs (associated with higher activation of regions within the sensorimotor network) and faster RTs to both stimuli. Non-musicians showed larger non-nociceptive P200 ERP. Notably, a similar P200 component prominently emerged during nociceptive stimulation in non-musicians. Across participants, larger N140 and N200 ERPs were associated with RTs, whereas the amount of daily practice in musicians explained non-nociceptive P200 and nociceptive P300 ERPs. CONCLUSIONS These novel findings indicate that the mechanisms by which extensive sensorimotor training promotes use-dependent plasticity in multisensory neural structures may also shape the neural signatures of nociceptive processing in healthy individuals. SIGNIFICANCE Repetitive sensorimotor training may increase the responsiveness of nociceptive evoked potentials. These novel data highlight the importance of repetitive sensorimotor practice as a contributing factor to the interindividual variability of nociceptive-related potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Zamorano
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Boris Kleber
- Center for Music in the Brain, Dept. of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus and Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Federico Arguissain
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Dept. of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus and Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Herta Flor
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Graven-Nielsen
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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8
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Zhang LB, Lu XJ, Huang G, Zhang HJ, Tu YH, Kong YZ, Hu L. Selective and replicable neuroimaging-based indicators of pain discriminability. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100846. [PMID: 36473465 PMCID: PMC9798031 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neural indicators of pain discriminability have far-reaching theoretical and clinical implications but have been largely overlooked previously. Here, to directly identify the neural basis of pain discriminability, we apply signal detection theory to three EEG (Datasets 1-3, total N = 366) and two fMRI (Datasets 4-5, total N = 399) datasets where participants receive transient stimuli of four sensory modalities (pain, touch, audition, and vision) and two intensities (high and low) and report perceptual ratings. Datasets 1 and 4 are used for exploration and others for validation. We find that most pain-evoked EEG and fMRI brain responses robustly encode pain discriminability, which is well replicated in validation datasets. The neural indicators are also pain selective since they cannot track tactile, auditory, or visual discriminability, even though perceptual ratings and sensory discriminability are well matched between modalities. Overall, we provide compelling evidence that pain-evoked brain responses can serve as replicable and selective neural indicators of pain discriminability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Bo Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xue-Jing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Gan Huang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Hui-Juan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yi-Heng Tu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ya-Zhuo Kong
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China,CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China,Corresponding author
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9
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Ahmed Mahmutoglu M, Rupp A, Naumgärtner U. Simultaneous EEG/MEG yields complementary information of nociceptive evoked responses. Clin Neurophysiol 2022; 143:21-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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Triccas LT, Camilleri KP, Tracey C, Mansoureh FH, Benjamin W, Francesca M, Leonardo B, Dante M, Geert V. Reliability of Upper Limb Pin-Prick Stimulation With Electroencephalography: Evoked Potentials, Spectra and Source Localization. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:881291. [PMID: 35937675 PMCID: PMC9351050 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.881291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In order for electroencephalography (EEG) with sensory stimuli measures to be used in research and neurological clinical practice, demonstration of reliability is needed. However, this is rarely examined. Here we studied the test-retest reliability of the EEG latency and amplitude of evoked potentials and spectra as well as identifying the sources during pin-prick stimulation. We recorded EEG in 23 healthy older adults who underwent a protocol of pin-prick stimulation on the dominant and non-dominant hand. EEG was recorded in a second session with rest intervals of 1 week. For EEG electrodes Fz, Cz, and Pz peak amplitude, latency and frequency spectra for pin-prick evoked potentials was determined and test-retest reliability was assessed. Substantial reliability ICC scores (0.76-0.79) were identified for evoked potential negative-positive amplitude from the left hand at C4 channel and positive peak latency when stimulating the right hand at Cz channel. Frequency spectra showed consistent increase of low-frequency band activity (< 5 Hz) and also in theta and alpha bands in first 0.25 s. Almost perfect reliability scores were found for activity at both low-frequency and theta bands (ICC scores: 0.81-0.98). Sources were identified in the primary somatosensory and motor cortices in relation to the positive peak using s-LORETA analysis. Measuring the frequency response from the pin-prick evoked potentials may allow the reliable assessment of central somatosensory impairment in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Tedesco Triccas
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Systems and Control Engineering, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
- REVAL Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Kenneth P. Camilleri
- Department of Systems and Control Engineering, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
- Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Camilleri Tracey
- Department of Systems and Control Engineering, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
- Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Fahimi Hnazaee Mansoureh
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Muscat Francesca
- Department of Systems and Control Engineering, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
- Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Boccuni Leonardo
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació Adscrit a la Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Fundació Institut d’Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mantini Dante
- Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Verheyden Geert
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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11
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Early life inflammation is associated with spinal cord excitability and nociceptive sensitivity in human infants. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3943. [PMID: 35803920 PMCID: PMC9270448 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31505-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune function and sensitivity to pain are closely related, but the association between early life inflammation and sensory nervous system development is poorly understood-especially in humans. Here, in term-born infants, we measure brain activity and reflex withdrawal activity (using EEG and EMG) and behavioural and physiological activity (using the PIPP-R score) to assess the impact of suspected early-onset neonatal infection on tactile- and noxious-evoked responses. We present evidence that neonatal inflammation (assessed by measuring C-reactive protein levels) is associated with increased spinal cord excitability and evoked brain activity following both tactile and noxious stimulation. There are early indications that this hyperalgesia could be maintained post-inflammation, supporting pre-clinical reports of early-life immune dysfunction influencing pain sensitivity in adults.
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12
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Li H, Li X, Wang J, Gao F, Wiech K, Hu L, Kong Y. Pain-related reorganization in the primary somatosensory cortex of patients with postherpetic neuralgia. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:5167-5179. [PMID: 35751551 PMCID: PMC9812237 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on functional and structural changes in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) have provided important insights into neural mechanisms underlying several chronic pain conditions. However, the role of S1 plasticity in postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) remains elusive. Combining psychophysics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we investigated whether pain in PHN patients is linked to S1 reorganization as compared with healthy controls. Results from voxel-based morphometry showed no structural differences between groups. To characterize functional plasticity, we compared S1 responses to noxious laser stimuli of a fixed intensity between both groups and assessed the relationship between S1 activation and spontaneous pain in PHN patients. Although the intensity of evoked pain was comparable in both groups, PHN patients exhibited greater activation in S1 ipsilateral to the stimulated hand. Pain-related activity was identified in contralateral superior S1 (SS1) in controls as expected, but in bilateral inferior S1 (IS1) in PHN patients with no overlap between SS1 and IS1. Contralateral SS1 engaged during evoked pain in controls encoded spontaneous pain in patients, suggesting functional S1 reorganization in PHN. Resting-state fMRI data showed decreased functional connectivity between left and right SS1 in PHN patients, which scaled with the intensity of spontaneous pain. Finally, multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA) demonstrated that BOLD activity and resting-state functional connectivity of S1 predicted within-subject variations of evoked and spontaneous pain intensities across groups. In summary, functional reorganization in S1 might play a key role in chronic pain related to PHN and could be a potential treatment target in this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral ScienceInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina,Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Xiaoyun Li
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina,CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
| | - Jiyuan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral ScienceInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina,Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Fei Gao
- Department of Pain MedicinePeking University People's HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Katja Wiech
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of Oxford, John Radcliffe HospitalOxfordUK
| | - Li Hu
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina,CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
| | - Yazhuo Kong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral ScienceInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina,Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of Oxford, John Radcliffe HospitalOxfordUK
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13
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Somervail R, Bufacchi RJ, Salvatori C, Neary-Zajiczek L, Guo Y, Novembre G, Iannetti GD. Brain Responses to Surprising Stimulus Offsets: Phenomenology and Functional Significance. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:2231-2244. [PMID: 34668519 PMCID: PMC9113248 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abrupt increases of sensory input (onsets) likely reflect the occurrence of novel events or objects in the environment, potentially requiring immediate behavioral responses. Accordingly, onsets elicit a transient and widespread modulation of ongoing electrocortical activity: the Vertex Potential (VP), which is likely related to the optimisation of rapid behavioral responses. In contrast, the functional significance of the brain response elicited by abrupt decreases of sensory input (offsets) is more elusive, and a detailed comparison of onset and offset VPs is lacking. In four experiments conducted on 44 humans, we observed that onset and offset VPs share several phenomenological and functional properties: they (1) have highly similar scalp topographies across time, (2) are both largely comprised of supramodal neural activity, (3) are both highly sensitive to surprise and (4) co-occur with similar modulations of ongoing motor output. These results demonstrate that the onset and offset VPs largely reflect the activity of a common supramodal brain network, likely consequent to the activation of the extralemniscal sensory system which runs in parallel with core sensory pathways. The transient activation of this system has clear implications in optimizing the behavioral responses to surprising environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Somervail
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London (UCL), WC1E 6BT, London, UK
| | - R J Bufacchi
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - C Salvatori
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - L Neary-Zajiczek
- Department of Computer Science, University College London (UCL), WC1E 6BT, London, UK
| | - Y Guo
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - G Novembre
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - G D Iannetti
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London (UCL), WC1E 6BT, London, UK
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14
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Equivalent current dipole sources of neurofeedback training-induced alpha activity through temporal/spectral analytic techniques. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264415. [PMID: 35213609 PMCID: PMC8880644 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Much of the work in alpha NFT has focused on evaluating changes in alpha amplitude. However, the generation mechanism of training-induced alpha activity has not yet been clarified. The present study aimed to identify sources of training-induced alpha activity through four temporal/spectral analytic techniques, i.e., the max peak average (MPA), positive average (PA), negative average (NA) and event-related spectral perturbation average (ERSPA) methods. Thirty-five healthy participants were recruited into an alpha group receiving feedback of 8–12-Hz amplitudes, and twenty-eight healthy participants were recruited into a control group receiving feedback of random 4-Hz amplitudes from the range of 7 to 20 Hz. Twelve sessions were performed within 4 weeks (3 sessions per week). The control group had no change in the amplitude spectrum. In contrast, twenty-nine participants in the alpha group showed significant alpha amplitude increases exclusively and were identified as “responders”. A whole-head EEG was recorded for the “responders” after NFT. The epochs of training-induced alpha activity from whole-head EEG were averaged by four different methods for equivalent current dipole source analysis. High agreement and Cohen’s kappa coefficients on dipole source localization between each method were observed, showing that the dipole clusters of training-induced alpha activity were consistently located in the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and middle temporal gyrus. The residual variance (goodness of fit) for dipole estimation of the MPA was significantly smaller than that of the others. Our findings indicate that the precuneus, PCC and middle temporal gyrus play important roles in enhancing training-induced alpha activity. The four averaging methods (especially the MPA method) were suitable for investigating sources of brainwaves. Additionally, three dipoles can be used for dipole source analysis of training-induced alpha activity in future research, especially the training sites are around the central regions.
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15
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van den Berg B, Manoochehri M, Schouten AC, van der Helm FCT, Buitenweg JR. Nociceptive Intra-epidermal Electric Stimulation Evokes Steady-State Responses in the Secondary Somatosensory Cortex. Brain Topogr 2022; 35:169-181. [PMID: 35050427 PMCID: PMC8860817 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-022-00888-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have established the presence of nociceptive steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs), generated in response to thermal or intra-epidermal electric stimuli. This study explores cortical sources and generation mechanisms of nociceptive SSEPs in response to intra-epidermal electric stimuli. Our method was to stimulate healthy volunteers (n = 22, all men) with 100 intra-epidermal pulse sequences. Each sequence had a duration of 8.5 s, and consisted of pulses with a pulse rate between 20 and 200 Hz, which was frequency modulated with a multisine waveform of 3, 7 and 13 Hz (n = 10, 1 excluded) or 3 and 7 Hz (n = 12, 1 excluded). As a result, evoked potentials in response to stimulation onset and contralateral SSEPs at 3 and 7 Hz were observed. The SSEPs at 3 and 7 Hz had an average time delay of 137 ms and 143 ms respectively. The evoked potential in response to stimulation onset had a contralateral minimum (N1) at 115 ms and a central maximum (P2) at 300 ms. Sources for the multisine SSEP at 3 and 7 Hz were found through beamforming near the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex. Sources for the N1 were found near the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex. Sources for the N2-P2 were found near the supplementary motor area. Harmonic and intermodulation frequencies in the SSEP power spectrum remained below a detectable level and no evidence for nonlinearity of nociceptive processing, i.e. processing of peripheral firing rate into cortical evoked potentials, was found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boudewijn van den Berg
- Biomedical Signals and Systems, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands.
| | - Mana Manoochehri
- Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Alfred C Schouten
- Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.,Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.,Biomechanical Engineering, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Frans C T van der Helm
- Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.,Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
| | - Jan R Buitenweg
- Biomedical Signals and Systems, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands
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16
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Interoception visualization relieves acute pain. Biol Psychol 2022; 169:108276. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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17
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Verdugo RJ, Matamala JM, Inui K, Kakigi R, Valls-Solé J, Hansson P, Bernhard Nilsen K, Lombardi R, Lauria G, Petropoulos IN, Malik RA, Treede RD, Baumgärtner U, Jara PA, Campero M. Review of techniques useful for the assessment of sensory small fiber neuropathies: Report from an IFCN expert group. Clin Neurophysiol 2022; 136:13-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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18
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Ren Q, Yang Y, Wo Y, Lu X, Hu L. Different priming effects of empathy on neural processing associated with firsthand pain and nonpain perception. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1509:184-202. [PMID: 34877680 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The shared-representation model of empathy is still debated. One of the major questions is whether empathy-eliciting stimuli depicting others' pain selectively activate the representations of self-pain. To address this issue, we assessed the priming effects of empathy-eliciting pictures on firsthand pain and nonpain perception, as well as its associated neural processing. In Experiment 1, when compared with nonpainful pictures depicting individuals' body parts with no injury, participants primed by painful pictures showing individuals' body parts with injury reported higher ratings for perceived intensity, unpleasantness, and salience of nociceptive and auditory stimuli, but they only exhibited increased N2 amplitude in response to nociceptive stimuli. In Experiment 2, the results from another group of participants replicated the observations of Experiment 1 and validated the findings in the non-nociceptive somatosensory modality. Importantly, participants' concern ratings for priming pictures predicted their unpleasantness ratings for subsequent nociceptive stimuli, while participants' attention ratings predicted their unpleasantness ratings for subsequent auditory and tactile stimuli. This finding implies that empathy for pain might influence pain and nonpain perception via different psychological mechanisms. In summary, our findings highlight the existence of pain-selective representations in empathy for pain and contribute to a better understanding of the shared-representation model of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoyue Ren
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ye Yang
- Centre for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Ye Wo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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19
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Zheng K, Chen C, Yang S, Wang X. Aerobic Exercise Attenuates Pain Sensitivity: An Event-Related Potential Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:735470. [PMID: 34630022 PMCID: PMC8494006 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.735470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, electroencephalography (EEG) was utilized to explore the neurophysiological mechanisms of aerobic exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) and provide a theoretical basis for the application of aerobic exercise in pain assessment and treatment. Forty-five healthy subjects were randomly divided into moderate-intensity aerobic exercise [70% heart rate reserve (HRR)], low-intensity aerobic exercise (50% HRR), or control groups (sitting). Aerobic exercise was performed with cycling. Pressure pain threshold (PPT), heat pain threshold (HPT), event-related potential (ERP) induced by contact heat stimulus and pain scoring were measured before and after the intervention. We found that moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can increase the PPT (rectus femoris: t = -2.71, p = 0.017; tibialis anterior muscle: t = -2.36, p = 0.033) and HPT (tibialis anterior muscle: t = -2.219, p = 0.044) of proximal intervention sites rather than distal sites, and decreased pain scorings of contact heat stimulus. After moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, alpha oscillation power reflecting the central descending inhibitory function was enhanced (t = -2.31, p < 0.05). Low-intensity aerobic exercise mainly reduced the pain unpleasantness rating (Block 1: t = 2.415, p = 0.030; Block 2: t = 3.287, p = 0.005; Block 4: t = 2.646, p = 0.019; Block 5: t = 2.567, p = 0.022). Aerobic exercise had an overall EIH effect. Its hypoalgesic effect was related to exercise intensity and affected by the site and type of pain stimulus. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise effectively reduced the sensitivity to various painful stimuli, and low-intensity aerobic exercise selectively inhibited the negative emotional pain response. The hypoalgesic mechanism of aerobic exercise involves the enhancement of the central descending inhibitory function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangyong Zheng
- Department of Sport Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Changcheng Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Qingtian People's Hospital, Zhejiang, China
| | - Suyong Yang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Xueqiang Wang
- Department of Sport Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai Shangti Orthopaedic Hospital, Shanghai, China
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20
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Teng G, Zhang F, Li Z, Zhang C, Zhang L, Chen L, Zhou T, Yue L, Zhang J. Quantitative Electrophysiological Evaluation of the Analgesic Efficacy of Two Lappaconitine Derivatives: A Window into Antinociceptive Drug Mechanisms. Neurosci Bull 2021; 37:1555-1569. [PMID: 34550562 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00774-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative evaluation of analgesic efficacy improves understanding of the antinociceptive mechanisms of new analgesics and provides important guidance for their development. Lappaconitine (LA), a potent analgesic drug extracted from the root of natural Aconitum species, has been clinically used for years because of its effective analgesic and non-addictive properties. However, being limited to ethological experiments, previous studies have mainly investigated the analgesic effect of LA at the behavioral level, and the associated antinociceptive mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, electrocorticogram (ECoG) technology was used to investigate the analgesic effects of two homologous derivatives of LA, Lappaconitine hydrobromide (LAH) and Lappaconitine trifluoroacetate (LAF), on Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to nociceptive laser stimuli, and to further explore their antinociceptive mechanisms. We found that both LAH and LAF were effective in reducing pain, as manifested in the remarkable reduction of nocifensive behaviors and laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) amplitudes (N2 and P2 waves, and gamma-band oscillations), and significantly prolonged latencies of the LEP-N2/P2. These changes in LEPs reflect the similar antinociceptive mechanism of LAF and LAH, i.e., inhibition of the fast signaling pathways. In addition, there were no changes in the auditory-evoked potential (AEP-N1 component) before and after LAF or LAH treatment, suggesting that neither drug had a central anesthetic effect. Importantly, compared with LAH, LAF was superior in its effects on the magnitudes of gamma-band oscillations and the resting-state spectra, which may be associated with their differences in the octanol/water partition coefficient, degree of dissociation, toxicity, and glycine receptor regulation. Altogether, jointly applying nociceptive laser stimuli and ECoG recordings in rats, we provide solid neural evidence for the analgesic efficacy and antinociceptive mechanisms of derivatives of LA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guixiang Teng
- College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.,The Rural Development Academy, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Fengrui Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhenjiang Li
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Chun Zhang
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Libo Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lele Chen
- College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.,The Rural Development Academy, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Tao Zhou
- College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.,The Rural Development Academy, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Lupeng Yue
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. .,Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Ji Zhang
- College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. .,The Rural Development Academy, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
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21
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Exploration of the Supraspinal Hypotheses about Spinal Cord Stimulation and Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation: A Systematic Review. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10132766. [PMID: 34201877 PMCID: PMC8268298 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10132766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the established efficacy and effectiveness of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), there is still no consensus on the supraspinal mechanisms of action of this therapy. The purpose of this study was to systematically review previously raised hypotheses concerning supraspinal mechanisms of action of SCS based on human, animal and computational studies. Searches were conducted using four electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Web of Science), backward reference searching and consultation with experts. The study protocol was registered prior to initiation of the review process (PROSPERO CRD42020161531). A total of 54 publications were included, 21 of which were animal studies, and 33 were human studies. The supraspinal hypotheses (n = 69) identified from the included studies could be categorized into six groups concerning the proposed supraspinal hypothesis, namely descending pathways (n = 24); ascending medial pathway (n = 13); ascending lateral pathway (n = 10); affective/motivational influences (n = 8); spinal–cerebral (thalamic)-loop (n = 3) and miscellaneous (n = 11). Scientific support is provided for the hypotheses identified. Modulation of the descending nociceptive inhibitory pathways, medial and lateral pathways were the most frequently reported hypotheses about the supraspinal mechanisms of action of SCS. These hypotheses were mainly supported by studies with a high or moderate confidence in the body of evidence.
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22
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Zhang H, Lu X, Bi Y, Hu L. A modality selective effect of functional laterality in pain detection sensitivity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6883. [PMID: 33767243 PMCID: PMC7994376 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85111-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect environmental changes is essential to determine the appropriate reaction when facing potential threats. Both detection and reaction functions are critical to survival, and the superior performance of motor reaction for the dominant hand is well recognized in humans. However, it is not clear whether there exists laterality in sensitivity to detect external changes and whether the possible laterality is associated with sensory modality and stimulus intensity. Here, we tested whether the perceptual sensitivity and electrophysiological responses elicited by graded sensory stimuli (i.e., nociceptive somatosensory, non-nociceptive somatosensory, auditory, and visual) that were delivered on/near the left and right hands would be different for right-handed individuals. We observed that perceived intensities and most brain responses were significantly larger when nociceptive stimuli were delivered to the left side (i.e., the non-dominant hand) than to the right side (i.e., the dominant hand). No significant difference was observed between the two sides for other modalities. The higher sensitivity to detect nociceptive stimuli for the non-dominant hand would be important to provide a prompt reaction to noxious events, thus compensating for its worse motor performance. This laterality phenomenon should be considered when designing experiments for pain laboratory studies and evaluating regional sensory abnormalities for pain patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijuan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. .,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Yanzhi Bi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. .,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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23
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An intensity matched comparison of laser- and contact heat evoked potentials. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6861. [PMID: 33767259 PMCID: PMC7994633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85819-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies comparing laser (LEPs) and contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) consistently reported higher amplitudes following laser compared to contact heat stimulation. However, none of the studies matched the perceived pain intensity, questioning if the observed difference in amplitude is due to biophysical differences between the two methods or a mismatch in stimulation intensity. The aims of the current study were twofold: (1) to directly compare the brain potentials induced by intensity matched laser and contact heat stimulation and (2) investigate how capsaicin-induced secondary hyperalgesia modulates LEPs and CHEPs. Twenty-one healthy subjects were recruited and measured at four experimental sessions: (1) CHEPs + sham, (2) LEPs + sham, (3) CHEPs + capsaicin, and (4) LEPs + capsaicin. Baseline (sham) LEPs latency was significantly shorter and amplitude significantly larger compared to CHEPs, even when matched for perceived pain. Neither CHEPs nor LEPs was sensitive enough to detect secondary hyperalgesia. These differences provide evidence that a faster heating rate results in an earlier and more synchronized LEPs than CHEPs. To our knowledge, this was the first study to match perceived intensity of contact heat and laser stimulations, revealing distinct advantages associated with the acquisition of LEPs.
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24
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Lu X, Yao X, Thompson WF, Hu L. Movement-induced hypoalgesia: behavioral characteristics and neural mechanisms. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1497:39-56. [PMID: 33691345 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Pain is essential for our survival because it helps to protect us from severe injuries. Nociceptive signals may be exacerbated by continued physical activities but can also be interrupted or overridden by physical movements, a process called movement-induced hypoalgesia. Several neural mechanisms have been proposed to account for this effect, including the reafference principle, non-nociceptive interference, and top-down descending modulation. Given that the hypoalgesic effects of these mechanisms temporally overlap during movement execution, it is unclear whether movement-induced hypoalgesia results from a single neural mechanism or from the joint action of multiple neural mechanisms. To address this question, we conducted five experiments on 129 healthy humans by assessing the hypoalgesic effect after movement execution. Combining psychophysics and electroencephalographic recordings, we quantified the relationship between the strength of voluntary movement and the hypoalgesic effect, as well as the temporal and spatial characteristics of the hypoalgesic effect. Our findings demonstrated that movement-induced hypoalgesia results from the joint action of multiple neural mechanisms. This investigation is the first to disentangle the distinct contributions of different neural mechanisms to the hypoalgesic effect of voluntary movement, which extends our understanding of sensory attenuation arising from voluntary movement and may prove instrumental in developing new strategies for pain management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinru Yao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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25
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Zarei AA, Jadidi AF, Lontis ER, Jensen W. Short-Term Suppression of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials and Perceived Sensations in Healthy Subjects Following TENS. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2021; 68:2261-2269. [PMID: 33439833 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2021.3051307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been reported to alleviate pain in chronic pain patients. Currently, there is limited knowledge how TENS affects can cause cortical neuromodulation and lead to modulation of non-painful and painful sensations. Our aim was therefore to investigate the effect of conventional, high-frequency TENS on cortical activation and perceived sensations in healthy subjects. We recorded somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and perceived sensations following high-frequency TENS (100 Hz) in 40 healthy subjects (sham and intervention group). The effect of TENS was examined up to an hour after the intervention phase, and results revealed significant cortical inhibition. We found that the magnitude of N100, P200 waves, and theta and alpha band power was significantly suppressed following the TENS intervention. These changes were associated with a simultaneous reduction in the perceived intensity and the size of the area where the sensation was felt. Although phantom limb pain relief previously has been associated with an inhibition of cortical activity, the efficacy of the present TENS intervention to induce such cortical inhibition and cause pain relief should be verified in a future clinical trial.
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26
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Somervail R, Zhang F, Novembre G, Bufacchi RJ, Guo Y, Crepaldi M, Hu L, Iannetti GD. Waves of Change: Brain Sensitivity to Differential, not Absolute, Stimulus Intensity is Conserved Across Humans and Rats. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:949-960. [PMID: 33026425 PMCID: PMC7786352 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Living in rapidly changing environments has shaped the mammalian brain toward high sensitivity to abrupt and intense sensory events-often signaling threats or affordances requiring swift reactions. Unsurprisingly, such events elicit a widespread electrocortical response (the vertex potential, VP), likely related to the preparation of appropriate behavioral reactions. Although the VP magnitude is largely determined by stimulus intensity, the relative contribution of the differential and absolute components of intensity remains unknown. Here, we dissociated the effects of these two components. We systematically varied the size of abrupt intensity increases embedded within continuous stimulation at different absolute intensities, while recording brain activity in humans (with scalp electroencephalography) and rats (with epidural electrocorticography). We obtained three main results. 1) VP magnitude largely depends on differential, and not absolute, stimulus intensity. This result held true, 2) for both auditory and somatosensory stimuli, indicating that sensitivity to differential intensity is supramodal, and 3) in both humans and rats, suggesting that sensitivity to abrupt intensity differentials is phylogenetically well-conserved. Altogether, the current results show that these large electrocortical responses are most sensitive to the detection of sensory changes that more likely signal the sudden appearance of novel objects or events in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Somervail
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - F Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, 100101 Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - G Novembre
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - R J Bufacchi
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Y Guo
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - M Crepaldi
- Electronic Design Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16152 Genova, Italy
| | - L Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, 100101 Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - G D Iannetti
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
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27
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Squintani G, Rasera A, Segatti A, Concon E, Bonetti B, Valeriani M, Tinazzi M. Conditioned pain modulation affects the N2/P2 complex but not the N1 wave: A pilot study with laser-evoked potentials. Eur J Pain 2020; 25:550-557. [PMID: 33170987 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 'pain-inhibits-pain' effect stems from neurophysiological mechanisms involving endogenous modulatory systems termed diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) or conditioned pain modulation (CPM). Laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) components, the N2/P2 complex, and the N1 wave, reflect the medial and lateral pain pathway, respectively: anatomically, the lateral thalamic nuclei (LT) project mainly to the somatosensory cortex (N1 generator), while the medial thalamic nuclei (MT) are bound to the limbic cortices (N2/P2 generators). METHODS We applied a CPM protocol in which the test stimulus was laser stimulation and the conditioning stimulus was a cold pressor test. LEPs recordings were obtained from 15 healthy subjects in three different conditions: baseline, during heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulation (HNCS) and post-HNCS. RESULTS We observed a significant reduction in N2/P2 amplitude during HNCS and a return to pre-test amplitude post-HNCS, whereas the N1 wave remained unchanged during and post-HNCS. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that CPM affects only the medial pain system. The spinothalamic tract (STT) transmits to both the LT and the MT, while the spinoreticulothalamic (SRT) projects only to the MT. The reduction in the amplitude of the N2/P2 complex and the absence of change in the N1 wave suggest that DNIC inhibition on the dorsal horn neurons affects only pain transmission via the SRT, while the neurons that give rise to the STT are not involved. The N1 wave can be a reliable neurophysiological parameter for assessment of STT function in clinical practice, as it does not seem to be influenced by CPM. SIGNIFICANCE No reports have described the effect of DNIC on lateral and medial pain pathways. We studied the N1 wave and the N2/P2 complex to detect changes during a CPM protocol. We found a reduction in the amplitude of the N2/P2 complex and no change in the N1 wave. This suggests that the DNIC inhibitory effect on dorsal horns neurons affects only pain transmission via the SRT, whereas the neurons that give rise to the STT are not involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Squintani
- Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit, Neuroscience Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy
| | - Andrea Rasera
- Department of Neurological, Neuropsychological, Morphological and Motor Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alessia Segatti
- Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit, Neuroscience Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy
| | - Elisa Concon
- Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit, Neuroscience Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy
| | - Bruno Bonetti
- Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit, Neuroscience Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Michele Tinazzi
- Department of Neurological, Neuropsychological, Morphological and Motor Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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28
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Bufacchi RJ, Magri C, Novembre G, Iannetti GD. Local spatial analysis: an easy-to-use adaptive spatial EEG filter. J Neurophysiol 2020; 125:509-521. [PMID: 33174497 PMCID: PMC7948137 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00560.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial EEG filters are widely used to isolate event-related potential (ERP) components. The most commonly used spatial filters (e.g., the average reference and the surface Laplacian) are “stationary.” Stationary filters are conceptually simple, easy to use, and fast to compute, but all assume that the EEG signal does not change across sensors and time. Given that ERPs are intrinsically nonstationary, applying stationary filters can lead to misinterpretations of the measured neural activity. In contrast, “adaptive” spatial filters (e.g., independent component analysis, ICA; and principal component analysis, PCA) infer their weights directly from the spatial properties of the data. They are, thus, not affected by the shortcomings of stationary filters. The issue with adaptive filters is that understanding how they work and how to interpret their output require advanced statistical and physiological knowledge. Here, we describe a novel, easy-to-use, and conceptually simple adaptive filter (local spatial analysis, LSA) for highlighting local components masked by large widespread activity. This approach exploits the statistical information stored in the trial-by-trial variability of stimulus-evoked neural activity to estimate the spatial filter parameters adaptively at each time point. Using both simulated data and real ERPs elicited by stimuli of four different sensory modalities (audition, vision, touch, and pain), we show that this method outperforms widely used stationary filters and allows to identify novel ERP components masked by large widespread activity. Implementation of the LSA filter in MATLAB is freely available to download. NEW & NOTEWORTHY EEG spatial filtering is important for exploring brain function. Two classes of filters are commonly used: stationary and adaptive. Stationary filters are simple to use but wrongly assume that stimulus-evoked EEG responses (ERPs) are stationary. Adaptive filters do not make this assumption but require solid statistical and physiological knowledge. Bridging this gap, we present local spatial analysis (LSA), an adaptive, yet computationally simple, spatial filter based on linear regression that separates local and widespread brain activity (https://www.iannettilab.net/lsa.html or https://github.com/rorybufacchi/LSA-filter).
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Bufacchi
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - C Magri
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - G Novembre
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - G D Iannetti
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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29
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Goudman L, Daenen L, Mouraux A, Nijs J, Cras P, Roussel N, Moens M, Coppieters I, Huysmans E, De Kooning M. Processing of Laser-Evoked Potentials in Patients with Chronic Whiplash-Associated Disorders, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Healthy Controls: A Case-Control Study. PAIN MEDICINE 2020; 21:2553-2563. [PMID: 32289826 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnaa068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) are among the reliable neurophysiological tools to investigate patients with neuropathic pain, as they can provide an objective account of the functional status of thermo-nociceptive pathways. The goal of this study was to explore the functioning of the nociceptive afferent pathways by examining LEPs in patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (cWAD), patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and healthy controls (HCs). DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING A single medical center in Belgium. SUBJECTS The LEPs of 21 patients with cWAD, 19 patients with CFS, and 18 HCs were analyzed in this study. METHODS All participants received brief nociceptive CO2 laser stimuli applied to the dorsum of the left hand and left foot while brain activity was recorded with a 32-channel electroencephalogram (EEG). LEP signals and transient power modulations were compared between patient groups and HCs. RESULTS No between-group differences were found for stimulus intensity, which was supraliminal for Aδ fibers. The amplitudes and latencies of LEP wave components N1, N2, and P2 in patients with cWAD and CFS were statistically similar to those of HCs. There were no significant differences between the time-frequency maps of EEG oscillation amplitude between HCs and both patient populations. CONCLUSIONS EEG responses of heat-sensitive Aδ fibers in patients with cWAD and CFS revealed no significant differences from the responses of HCs. These findings thus do not support a state of generalized central nervous system hyperexcitability in those patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Goudman
- Department of Neurosurgery, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Pain in Motion International Research Group.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Liesbeth Daenen
- Pain in Motion International Research Group.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Knowledge, Information and Research Center (KIR), Group Idewe, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Andre Mouraux
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jo Nijs
- Pain in Motion International Research Group.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Physical Medicine and Physiotherapy, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Patrick Cras
- Laboratory of Neurology, Translational Neurosciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Department of Neurology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Roussel
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy (MOVANT), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Campus, Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Maarten Moens
- Department of Neurosurgery, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Center for Neurosciences (C4N), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Radiology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Iris Coppieters
- Pain in Motion International Research Group.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Physical Medicine and Physiotherapy, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Eva Huysmans
- Pain in Motion International Research Group.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Physical Medicine and Physiotherapy, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Public Health (GEWE), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Margot De Kooning
- Pain in Motion International Research Group.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Physical Medicine and Physiotherapy, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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30
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Does Motor Cortex Engagement During Movement Preparation Differentially Inhibit Nociceptive Processing in Patients with Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Healthy Controls? An Experimental Study. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9051520. [PMID: 32443565 PMCID: PMC7290436 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9051520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and chronic whiplash associated disorders (cWAD) present a reduced ability to activate central descending nociceptive inhibition after exercise, compared to measurements before exercise. It was hypothesised that a dysfunctional motor-induced inhibition of nociception partly explains this dysfunctional exercise-induced hypoalgesia. This study investigates if engagement of the motor system during movement preparation inhibits nociception-evoked brain responses in these patients as compared to healthy controls (HC). METHODS The experiment used laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) during three conditions (no task, mental task, movement preparation) while recording brain activity with a 32-channel electroencephalogram in 21 patients with cWAD, 20 patients with CFS and 18 HC. Two-factor mixed design Analysis of variance were used to evaluate differences in LEP amplitudes and latencies. RESULTS No differences in N1, N2, N2P2, and P2 LEP amplitudes were found between the HC, CFS, and cWAD groups. After nociceptive stimulation, N1, N2 (only at hand location), N2P2, and P2 LEP amplitudes significantly decreased during movement preparation compared to no task (within group differences). CONCLUSION Movement preparation induces a similar attenuation of LEPs in patients with CFS, patients with cWAD and HC. These findings do not support reduced motor-induced nociceptive inhibition in these patients.
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31
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Qin Z, Su J, He XW, Ban S, Zhu Q, Cui Y, Zhang J, Hu Y, Liu YS, Zhao R, Qiao Y, Li J, Liu JR, Du X. Disrupted functional connectivity between sub-regions in the sensorimotor areas and cortex in migraine without aura. J Headache Pain 2020; 21:47. [PMID: 32375638 PMCID: PMC7203097 DOI: 10.1186/s10194-020-01118-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Migraine is a severe and disabling brain disorder, and the exact neurological mechanisms remain unclear. Migraineurs have altered pain perception, and headache attacks disrupt their sensory information processing and sensorimotor integration. The altered functional connectivity of sub-regions of sensorimotor brain areas with other brain cortex associated with migraine needs further investigation. Methods Forty-eight migraineurs without aura during the interictal phase and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. We utilized seed-based functional connectivity analysis to investigate whether patients exhibited abnormal functional connectivity between sub-regions of sensorimotor brain areas and cortex regions. Results We found that patients with migraineurs without aura exhibited disrupted functional connectivities between the sensorimotor areas and the visual cortex, temporal cortex, posterior parietal lobule, prefrontal areas, precuneus, cingulate gyrus, sensorimotor areas proper and cerebellum areas compared with healthy controls. In addition, the clinical data of the patients, such as disease duration, pain intensity and HIT-6 score, were negatively correlated with these impaired functional connectivities. Conclusion In patients with migraineurs without aura, the functional connectivities between the sensorimotor brain areas and other brain regions was reduced. These disrupted functional connectivities might contribute to abnormalities in visual processing, multisensory integration, nociception processing, spatial attention and intention and dysfunction in cognitive evaluation and modulation of pain. Recurrent headache attacks might lead to the disrupted network between primary motor cortex and temporal regions and between primary somatosensory cortex and temporal regions. Pain sensitivity and patient quality of life are closely tied to the abnormal functional connectivity between sensorimotor regions and other brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoxia Qin
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhong-Shan Road, 200062, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjing Su
- Department of Neurology and Jiuyuan Municipal Stroke Center, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin-Wei He
- Department of Neurology and Jiuyuan Municipal Stroke Center, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Shiyu Ban
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhong-Shan Road, 200062, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhong-Shan Road, 200062, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangyang Cui
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhong-Shan Road, 200062, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jilei Zhang
- Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Shanghai, 200040, P. R. China
| | - Yue Hu
- Department of Neurology and Jiuyuan Municipal Stroke Center, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Yi-Sheng Liu
- Department of Neurology and Jiuyuan Municipal Stroke Center, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Rong Zhao
- Department of Neurology and Jiuyuan Municipal Stroke Center, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Yuan Qiao
- Department of Neurology and Jiuyuan Municipal Stroke Center, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Jianqi Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhong-Shan Road, 200062, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian-Ren Liu
- Department of Neurology and Jiuyuan Municipal Stroke Center, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. .,Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China.
| | - Xiaoxia Du
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhong-Shan Road, 200062, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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32
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Zhou L, Bi Y, Liang M, Kong Y, Tu Y, Zhang X, Song Y, Du X, Tan S, Hu L. A modality-specific dysfunction of pain processing in schizophrenia. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:1738-1753. [PMID: 31868305 PMCID: PMC7267942 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical observations showed that schizophrenia (SCZ) patients reported little or no pain under various conditions that are commonly associated with intense painful sensations, leading to a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. However, this phenomenon has received little attention and its underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we conducted two experiments combining psychophysics, electroencephalography (EEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to investigate neural mechanisms of pain insensitivity in SCZ patients. Specifically, we adopted a stimulus-response paradigm with brief stimuli of different sensory modalities (i.e., nociceptive, non-nociceptive somatosensory, and auditory) to test whether pain insensitivity in SCZ patients is supra-modal or modality-specific, and used EEG and fMRI techniques to clarify its neural mechanisms. We observed that perceived intensities to nociceptive stimuli were significantly smaller in SCZ patients than healthy controls, whereas perceived intensities to non-nociceptive somatosensory and auditory stimuli were not significantly different. The behavioral results were confirmed by stimulus-evoked brain responses sampled by EEG and fMRI techniques, thus verifying the modality-specific nature of the modulation of nociceptive information processing in SCZ patients. Additionally, significant group differences were observed in the spectral power of alpha oscillations in prestimulus EEG and the seed-based functional connectivity in resting-state fMRI (seeds: the thalamus and periaqueductal gray that are key nodes in ascending and descending pain pathways respectively), suggesting a possible contribution of cortical-subcortical dysfunction to the phenomenon. Overall, our study provides insight into the neural mechanisms of pain insensitivity in SCZ and highlights a need for systematic assessments of their pain-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yanzhi Bi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Meng Liang
- School of Medical Imaging and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional ImagingTianjin Medical UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Yazhuo Kong
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural ScienceInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yiheng Tu
- Department of PsychiatryMassachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolCharlestownMassachusetts
| | - Xiangyang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yanying Song
- Psychiatry Research CentreBeijing Huilonguan HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Xia Du
- Psychiatry Research CentreBeijing Huilonguan HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Shuping Tan
- Psychiatry Research CentreBeijing Huilonguan HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of Pain ManagementThe State Key Clinical Specialty in Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
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33
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Guo Y, Bufacchi RJ, Novembre G, Kilintari M, Moayedi M, Hu L, Iannetti GD. Ultralow-frequency neural entrainment to pain. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000491. [PMID: 32282798 PMCID: PMC7179945 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Nervous systems exploit regularities in the sensory environment to predict sensory input, adjust behavior, and thereby maximize fitness. Entrainment of neural oscillations allows retaining temporal regularities of sensory information, a prerequisite for prediction. Entrainment has been extensively described at the frequencies of periodic inputs most commonly present in visual and auditory landscapes (e.g., >0.5 Hz). An open question is whether neural entrainment also occurs for regularities at much longer timescales. Here, we exploited the fact that the temporal dynamics of thermal stimuli in natural environment can unfold very slowly. We show that ultralow-frequency neural oscillations preserved a long-lasting trace of sensory information through neural entrainment to periodic thermo-nociceptive input as low as 0.1 Hz. Importantly, revealing the functional significance of this phenomenon, both power and phase of the entrainment predicted individual pain sensitivity. In contrast, periodic auditory input at the same ultralow frequency did not entrain ultralow-frequency oscillations. These results demonstrate that a functionally significant neural entrainment can occur at temporal scales far longer than those commonly explored. The non-supramodal nature of our results suggests that ultralow-frequency entrainment might be tuned to the temporal scale of the statistical regularities characteristic of different sensory modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Guo
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rory John Bufacchi
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giacomo Novembre
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marina Kilintari
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Massieh Moayedi
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gian Domenico Iannetti
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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34
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Heid C, Mouraux A, Treede RD, Schuh-Hofer S, Rupp A, Baumgärtner U. Early gamma-oscillations as correlate of localized nociceptive processing in primary sensorimotor cortex. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:1711-1726. [PMID: 32208893 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00444.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies put forward the idea that stimulus-evoked gamma-band oscillations (GBOs; 30-100 Hz) play a specific role in nociception. So far, evidence for the specificity of GBOs for nociception, their possible involvement in nociceptive sensory discriminatory abilities, and knowledge regarding their cortical sources is just starting to grow. To address these questions, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain activity evoked by phasic nociceptive laser stimuli and tactile stimuli applied at different intensities to the right hand and foot of 12 healthy volunteers. The EEG was analyzed in the time domain to extract phase-locked event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and in three regions of interest in the time-frequency domain (delta/theta, 40-Hz gamma, 70-Hz gamma) to extract stimulus-evoked changes in the magnitude of non-phase-locked brain oscillations. Both nociceptive and tactile stimuli, matched with respect to subjective intensity, elicited phase locked ERPs of increasing amplitude with increasing stimulus intensity. In contrast, only nociceptive stimuli elicited a significant enhancement of GBOs (65-85 Hz, 150-230 ms after stimulus onset), whose magnitude encoded stimulus intensity, whereas tactile stimuli led to a GBO decrease. Following nociceptive hand stimulation, the topographical distribution of GBOs was maximal at contralateral electrode C3, whereas maximum activity following foot stimulation was recorded at the midline electrode Cz, compatible with generation of GBOs in the representations of the hand and foot of the primary sensorimotor cortex, respectively. The differential behavior of high-frequency GBOs and low-frequency 40-Hz GBOs is indicating different functional roles and regions in sensory processing.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Gamma-band oscillations show hand-foot somatotopy compatible with generation in primary sensorimotor cortex and are present following nociceptive but not tactile stimulation of the hand and foot in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Heid
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - A Mouraux
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS), Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels B-1200, Belgium
| | - R-D Treede
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - S Schuh-Hofer
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - A Rupp
- Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - U Baumgärtner
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.,Department of Human Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, Medical School Hamburg (MSH), Hamburg, Germany
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35
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Lu X, Thompson WF, Zhang L, Hu L. Music Reduces Pain Unpleasantness: Evidence from an EEG Study. J Pain Res 2019; 12:3331-3342. [PMID: 31853196 PMCID: PMC6916681 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s212080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Music is sometimes used as an adjunct to pain management. However, there is limited understanding of by what means music modulates pain perception and how the brain responds to nociceptive inputs while listening to music, because clinical practice typically involves the coexistence of multiple therapeutic interventions. To address this challenge, laboratory studies with experimental and control conditions are needed. METHODS In the present investigation, we delivered nociceptive laser stimuli on 30 participants under three conditions - participants were sitting in silence, listening to their preferred music, or listening to white noise. Differences among conditions were quantified by self-reports of pain intensity and unpleasantness, and brain activity sampled by electroencephalography (EEG). RESULTS Compared with the noise and silence conditions, participants in the music condition reported lower ratings on pain unpleasantness, as reflected by reduced brain oscillations immediately prior to the nociceptive laser stimulus at frequencies of 4-15 Hz in EEG. In addition, participants showed smaller P2 amplitudes in laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) when they were listening to music or white noise in comparison to sitting in silence. These findings suggest that a general modulation effect of sounds on pain, with a specific reduction of pain unpleasantness induced by the positive emotional impact. CONCLUSION Music may serve as a real-time regulator to modulate pain unpleasantness. Results are discussed in view of current understandings of music-induced analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - William Forde Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Libo Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
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Zamorano AM, Montoya P, Cifre I, Vuust P, Riquelme I, Kleber B. Experience-dependent neuroplasticity in trained musicians modulates the effects of chronic pain on insula-based networks - A resting-state fMRI study. Neuroimage 2019; 202:116103. [PMID: 31437550 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent resting-state fMRI studies associated extensive musical training with increased insula-based connectivity in large-scale networks involved in salience, emotion, and higher-order cognitive processes. Similar changes have also been found in chronic pain patients, suggesting that both types of experiences can have comparable effects on insula circuitries. Based on these observations, the current study asked the question whether, and if so in what way, different forms of experience-dependent neuroplasticity may interact. Here we assessed insula-based connectivity during fMRI resting-state between musicians and non-musicians both with and without chronic pain, and correlated the results with clinical pain duration and intensity. As expected, insula connectivity was increased in chronic pain non-musicians relative to healthy non-musicians (with cingulate cortex and supplementary motor area), yet no differences were found between chronic pain non-musicians and healthy musicians. In contrast, musicians with chronic pain showed decreased insula connectivity relative to both healthy musicians (with sensorimotor and memory regions) and chronic pain non-musicians (with the hippocampus, inferior temporal gyrus, and orbitofrontal cortex), as well as lower pain-related inferences with daily activities. Pain duration correlated positively with insula connectivity only in non-musicians, whereas pain intensity exhibited distinct relationships across groups. We conclude that although music-related sensorimotor training and chronic pain, taken in isolation, can lead to increased insula-based connectivity, their combination may lead to higher-order plasticity (metaplasticity) in chronic pain musicians, engaging brain mechanisms that can modulate the consequences of maladaptive experience-dependent neural reorganization (i.e., pain chronification).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Zamorano
- Research Institute of Health Sciences (IUNICS-IdISBa), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), SMI, Department of Health Science and Technology, The Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Denmark.
| | - Pedro Montoya
- Research Institute of Health Sciences (IUNICS-IdISBa), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Ignacio Cifre
- University Ramon Llull, Blanquerna, FPCEE, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Inmaculada Riquelme
- Research Institute of Health Sciences (IUNICS-IdISBa), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Boris Kleber
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark; Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Peng WW, Tang ZY, Zhang FR, Li H, Kong YZ, Iannetti GD, Hu L. Neurobiological mechanisms of TENS-induced analgesia. Neuroimage 2019; 195:396-408. [PMID: 30946953 PMCID: PMC6547049 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain inhibition by additional somatosensory input is the rationale for the widespread use of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) to relieve pain. Two main types of TENS produce analgesia in animal models: high-frequency (∼50-100 Hz) and low-intensity 'conventional' TENS, and low-frequency (∼2-4 Hz) and high-intensity 'acupuncture-like' TENS. However, TENS efficacy in human participants is debated, raising the question of whether the analgesic mechanisms identified in animal models are valid in humans. Here, we used a sham-controlled experimental design to clarify the efficacy and the neurobiological effects of 'conventional' and 'acupuncture-like' TENS in 80 human volunteers. To test the analgesic effect of TENS we recorded the perceptual and brain responses elicited by radiant heat laser pulses that activate selectively Aδ and C cutaneous nociceptors. To test whether TENS has a long-lasting effect on brain state we recorded spontaneous electrocortical oscillations. The analgesic effect of 'conventional' TENS was maximal when nociceptive stimuli were delivered homotopically, to the same hand that received the TENS. In contrast, 'acupuncture-like' TENS produced a spatially-diffuse analgesic effect, coupled with long-lasting changes both in the state of the primary sensorimotor cortex (S1/M1) and in the functional connectivity between S1/M1 and the medial prefrontal cortex, a core region in the descending pain inhibitory system. These results demonstrate that 'conventional' and 'acupuncture-like' TENS have different analgesic effects, which are mediated by different neurobiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- W W Peng
- College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Z Y Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - F R Zhang
- Research Center of Brain Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - H Li
- College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Y Z Kong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - G D Iannetti
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - L Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK; Department of Pain Management, The State Key Clinical Specialty in Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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38
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Peng W, Peng H, Lu J, Fan B, Cui F. Others' Pain Appraisals Modulate the Anticipation and Experience of Subsequent Pain. Neuroscience 2019; 410:16-28. [PMID: 31078688 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.04.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated how pain appraisals from other individuals modulated self-pain anticipation and perception. Appraisals of pain intensity from 10 other individuals were presented before the participants received identical electrical pain stimulation themselves. In reality, the presented other's pain appraisals, with either low or high in mean and variance, were generated by the experimenter, and were randomly paired with the subsequent electrical stimulation at either low or high intensity. Specifically, the mean and variance of others' pain appraisals were manipulated to induce participants' expectation and certainty to the upcoming pain. Subjective ratings of pain intensity and electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to the electrical stimulation, as well as anticipatory EEG activities measured prior to the onset of electrical stimulation, were compared. Results showed that the mean and variance of others' pain appraisal modulated the subjective pain ratings and the affective-motivational P2 responses elicited by the electrical stimulation, as well as anticipatory sensorimotor α-oscillation measured before the onset of pain stimulation. When the mean of others' pain appraisal was low, higher variance suppressed the sensorimotor α-oscillations and enhanced subsequent pain perception. In contrast, when the mean was high, the higher variance enhanced sensorimotor α-oscillations and suppressed subsequent pain perception. These results demonstrated that others' pain appraisals can modulate both of the anticipation and perception of first-hand pain. It also suggested that the top-down modulation of others' pain appraisals on pain perception could be partially driven by the different brain states during the anticipation stage, as captured by the prestimulus sensorimotor α-oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Peng
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Huini Peng
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Juanzhi Lu
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bi Fan
- College of Management, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fang Cui
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
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39
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Albu S, Meagher MW. Divergent effects of conditioned pain modulation on subjective pain and nociceptive-related brain activity. Exp Brain Res 2019; 237:1735-1744. [PMID: 31030281 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05545-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Pain is a complex experience involving both nociceptive and affective-cognitive mechanisms. The present study evaluated whether modulation of pain perception, employing a conditioned pain modulation (CPM) paradigm, is paralleled by changes in contact heat-evoked potentials (CHEPs), a brain response to nociceptive stimuli. METHODS Participants were 25 healthy, pain-free, college students (12 males, 13 females, mean age 19.24 ± 0.97 years). Twenty computer-controlled heat stimuli were delivered to the non-dominant forearm and CHEPs were recorded at Cz using a 32-channel EEG system. After each stimulus, participants rated the intensity of the heat pain using the 0-100 numerical rating scale. The latency and amplitude of N2, P2 components as well as single-sweep spectral analysis of individual CHEPs were measured offline. For CPM, participants had to submerge their dominant foot into a neutral (32 °C) or noxious (0 °C) water bath. CHEPs and heat pain ratings were recorded in 3 different conditions: without CPM, after neutral CPM (32 °C) and after noxious CPM (0 °C). RESULTS The noxious CPM induced a facilitatory pain response (p = 0.001) with an increase in heat pain following noxious CPM compared to neutral CPM (p = 0.001) and no CPM (p = 0.001). Changes in CHEPs did not differ between conditions when measured as N2-P2 peak-to-peak amplitude (p = 0.33) but the CPM significantly suppressed the CHEPs-related delta power (p = 0.03). Changes in heat pain in the noxious CPM were predicted by trait catastrophizing variables (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION The current study revealed that pain facilitatory CPM is related to suppression of CHEPs delta power which could be related to dissociation between brain responses to noxious heat and pain perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergiu Albu
- Institute Guttmann, Neurorehabilitation Hospital, Camí Can Ruti s/n, Badalona, 08916, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Mary W Meagher
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
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40
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von Mohr M, Krahé C, Beck B, Fotopoulou A. The social buffering of pain by affective touch: a laser-evoked potential study in romantic couples. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 13:1121-1130. [PMID: 30247679 PMCID: PMC6234321 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Pain is modulated by social context. Recent neuroimaging studies have shown that romantic partners can provide a potent form of social support during pain. However, such studies have only focused on passive support, finding a relatively late-onset modulation of pain-related neural processing. In this study, we examined for the first time dynamic touch by one’s romantic partner as an active form of social support. Specifically, 32 couples provided social, active, affective (vs active but neutral) touch according to the properties of a specific C-tactile afferent pathway to their romantic partners, who then received laser-induced pain. We measured subjective pain ratings and early N1 and later N2-P2 laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) to noxious stimulation, as well as individual differences in adult attachment style. We found that affective touch from one’s partner reduces subjective pain ratings and similarly attenuates LEPs both at earlier (N1) and later (N2-P2) stages of cortical processing. Adult attachment style did not affect LEPs, but attachment anxiety had a moderating role on pain ratings. This is the first study to show early neural modulation of pain by active, partner touch, and we discuss these findings in relation to the affective and social modulation of sensory salience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana von Mohr
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Charlotte Krahé
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Brianna Beck
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Aikaterini Fotopoulou
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
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41
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Tiemann L, Hohn VD, Ta Dinh S, May ES, Nickel MM, Gross J, Ploner M. Distinct patterns of brain activity mediate perceptual and motor and autonomic responses to noxious stimuli. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4487. [PMID: 30367033 PMCID: PMC6203833 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06875-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain is a complex phenomenon involving perceptual, motor, and autonomic responses, but how the brain translates noxious stimuli into these different dimensions of pain is unclear. Here, we assessed perceptual, motor, and autonomic responses to brief noxious heat stimuli and recorded brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) in humans. Multilevel mediation analysis reveals that each pain dimension is subserved by a distinct pattern of EEG responses and, conversely, that each EEG response differentially contributes to the different dimensions of pain. In particular, the translation of noxious stimuli into autonomic and motor responses involved the earliest N1 wave, whereas pain perception was mediated by later N2 and P2 waves. Gamma oscillations mediated motor responses rather than pain perception. These findings represent progress towards a mechanistic understanding of the brain processes translating noxious stimuli into pain and suggest that perceptual, motor, and autonomic dimensions of pain are partially independent rather than serial processes. Pain is a complex phenomenon involving not just the perception of pain, but also autonomic and motor responses. Here, the authors show that these different dimensions of pain are associated with distinct patterns of neural responses to noxious stimuli as measured using EEG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tiemann
- Department of Neurology and TUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Vanessa D Hohn
- Department of Neurology and TUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Son Ta Dinh
- Department of Neurology and TUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth S May
- Department of Neurology and TUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Moritz M Nickel
- Department of Neurology and TUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow, G12 8QB, UK
| | - Markus Ploner
- Department of Neurology and TUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
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Lenoir C, Jankovski A, Mouraux A. Anodal Transcutaneous Spinal Direct Current Stimulation (tsDCS) Selectively Inhibits the Synaptic Efficacy of Nociceptive Transmission at Spinal Cord Level. Neuroscience 2018; 393:150-163. [PMID: 30321585 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Recently studies have aimed at developing transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) as a non-invasive technique to modulate spinal function in humans. Independent studies evaluating its after-effects on nociceptive or non-nociceptive somatosensory responses have reported comparable effects suggesting that tsDCS impairs axonal conduction of both the spino-thalamic and the medial lemniscus tracts. The present study aimed to better understand how tsDCS affects, in humans, the spinal transmission of nociceptive and non-nociceptive somatosensory inputs. We compared the after-effects of anodal low-thoracic, anodal cervical and sham tsDCS on the perception and brain responses elicited by laser stimuli selectively activating Aδ-thermonociceptors of the spinothalamic system and vibrotactile stimuli selectively activating low-threshold Aβ-mechanoreceptors of the lemniscal system, delivered to the hands and feet. Low-thoracic tsDCS selectively and significantly affected the LEP-N2 wave elicited by nociceptive stimulation of the lower limbs, without affecting the LEP-N2 wave elicited by nociceptive stimulation of the upper limbs, and without affecting the SEP-N2 wave elicited by vibrotactile stimulation of either limb. This selective and segmental effect indicates that the neuromodulatory after-effects of tsDCS cannot be explained by anodal blockade of axonal conduction and, instead, are most probably due to a segmental effect on the synaptic efficacy of the local processing and/or transmission of nociceptive inputs in the dorsal horn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Lenoir
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS) Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Aleksandar Jankovski
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS) Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium; Department of Neurosurgery, Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), CHU UCL Namur, Avenue Dr G. Therasse, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
| | - André Mouraux
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS) Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.
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Characterizing the Short-Term Habituation of Event-Related Evoked Potentials. eNeuro 2018; 5:eN-NWR-0014-18. [PMID: 30280121 PMCID: PMC6162078 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0014-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fast-rising sensory events evoke a series of functionally heterogeneous event-related potentials (ERPs). Stimulus repetition at 1 Hz induces a strong habituation of the largest ERP responses, the vertex waves (VWs). VWs are elicited by stimuli regardless of their modality, provided that they are salient and behaviorally relevant. In contrast, the effect of stimulus repetition on the earlier sensory components of ERPs has been less explored, and the few existing results are inconsistent. To characterize how the different ERP waves habituate over time, we recorded the responses elicited by 60 identical somatosensory stimuli (activating either non-nociceptive Aβ or nociceptive Aδ afferents), delivered at 1 Hz to healthy human participants. We show that the well-described spatiotemporal sequence of lateralized and vertex ERP components elicited by the first stimulus of the series is largely preserved in the smaller-amplitude, habituated response elicited by the last stimuli of the series. We also found that the earlier lateralized sensory wave habituates across the 60 trials following the same decay function of the VWs: this decay function is characterized by a large drop at the first stimulus repetition followed by smaller decreases at subsequent repetitions. Interestingly, the same decay functions described the habituation of ERPs elicited by repeated non-nociceptive and nociceptive stimuli. This study provides a neurophysiological characterization of the effect of prolonged and repeated stimulation on the main components of somatosensory ERPs. It also demonstrates that both lateralized waves and VWs are obligatory components of ERPs elicited by non-nociceptive and nociceptive stimuli.
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Temporal Profile and Limb-specificity of Phasic Pain-Evoked Changes in Motor Excitability. Neuroscience 2018; 386:240-255. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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45
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Beukema P, Cecil KL, Peterson E, Mann VR, Matsushita M, Takashima Y, Navlakha S, Barth AL. TrpM8-mediated somatosensation in mouse neocortex. J Comp Neurol 2018; 526:1444-1456. [PMID: 29484652 PMCID: PMC5899639 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Somatosensation is a complex sense mediated by more than a dozen distinct neural subtypes in the periphery. Although pressure and touch sensation have been mapped to primary somatosensory cortex in rodents, it has been controversial whether pain and temperature inputs are also directed to this area. Here we use a well-defined somatosensory modality, cool sensation mediated by peripheral TrpM8-receptors, to investigate the neural substrate for cool perception in the mouse neocortex. Using activation of cutaneous TrpM8 receptor-expressing neurons, we identify candidate neocortical areas responsive for cool sensation. Initially, we optimized TrpM8 stimulation and determined that menthol, a selective TrpM8 agonist, was more effective than cool stimulation at inducing expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos in the spinal cord. We developed a broad-scale brain survey method for identification of activated brain areas, using automated methods to quantify c-fos immunoreactivity (fos-IR) across animals. Brain areas corresponding to the posterior insular cortex and secondary somatosensory (S2) show elevated fos-IR after menthol stimulation, in contrast to weaker activation in primary somatosensory cortex (S1). In addition, menthol exposure triggered fos-IR in piriform cortex, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus. Menthol-mediated activation was absent in TrpM8-knock-out animals. Our results indicate that cool somatosensory input broadly drives neural activity across the mouse brain, with neocortical signal most elevated in the posterior insula, as well as S2 and S1. These findings are consistent with data from humans indicating that the posterior insula is specialized for somatosensory information encoding temperature, pain, and gentle touch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Beukema
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260
| | | | - Elena Peterson
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
| | - Victor R Mann
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720
| | - Megumi Matsushita
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213
| | - Yoshio Takashima
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
| | - Saket Navlakha
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, 92037
| | - Alison L Barth
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213
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Somatotopic Representation of Second Pain in the Primary Somatosensory Cortex of Humans and Rodents. J Neurosci 2018; 38:5538-5550. [PMID: 29899034 PMCID: PMC6001037 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3654-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is now compelling evidence that selective stimulation of Aδ nociceptors eliciting first pain evokes robust responses in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). In contrast, whether the C-fiber nociceptive input eliciting second pain has an organized projection to S1 remains an open question. Here, we recorded the electrocortical responses elicited by nociceptive-specific laser stimulation of the four limbs in 202 humans (both males and females, using EEG) and 12 freely moving rats (all males, using ECoG). Topographical analysis and source modeling revealed in both species, a clear gross somatotopy of the unmyelinated C-fiber input within the S1 contralateral to the stimulated side. In the human EEG, S1 activity could be isolated as an early-latency negative deflection (C-N1 wave peaking at 710–730 ms) after hand stimulation, but not after foot stimulation because of the spatiotemporal overlap with the subsequent large-amplitude supramodal vertex waves (C-N2/P2). In contrast, because of the across-species difference in the representation of the body surface within S1, S1 activity could be isolated in rat ECoG as a C-N1 after both forepaw and hindpaw stimulation. Finally, we observed a functional dissociation between the generators of the somatosensory-specific lateralized waves (C-N1) and those of the supramodal vertex waves (C-N2/P2), indicating that C-fiber unmyelinated input is processed in functionally distinct somatosensory and multimodal cortical areas. These findings demonstrated that C-fiber input conveys information about the spatial location of noxious stimulation across the body surface, a prerequisite for deploying an appropriate defensive motor repertoire. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Unmyelinated C-fibers are the evolutionarily oldest peripheral afferents responding to noxious environmental stimuli. Whether C-fiber input conveys information about the spatial location of the noxious stimulation to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) remains an open issue. In this study, C-fibers were activated by radiant heat stimuli delivered to different parts of the body in both humans and rodents while electrical brain activity was recorded. In both species, the C-fiber peripheral input projects to different parts of the contralateral S1, coherently with the representation of the body surface within this brain region. These findings demonstrate that C-fiber input conveys information about the spatial location of noxious stimulation across the body surface, a prerequisite for deploying an appropriate defensive motor repertoire.
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De Keyser R, van den Broeke EN, Courtin A, Dufour A, Mouraux A. Event-related brain potentials elicited by high-speed cooling of the skin: A robust and non-painful method to assess the spinothalamic system in humans. Clin Neurophysiol 2018; 129:1011-1019. [PMID: 29567583 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2018.02.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate whether cool-evoked potentials (CEP) elicited by brisk innocuous cooling of the skin could serve as an alternative to laser-evoked potentials (LEP), currently considered as the best available neurophysiological tool to assess the spinothalamic tract and diagnose neuropathic pain. METHODS A novel device made of micro-Peltier elements and able to cool the skin at -300 °C/s was used to record CEPs elicited by stimulation of the hand dorsum in 40 healthy individuals, characterize the elicited responses, and assess their signal-to-noise ratio. Various stimulation surfaces (40 mm2 and 120 mm2), cooling ramps (-200 °C/s and -133 °C/s) and temperature steps (20 °C, 15 °C, 10 °C, 5 °C) were tested to identify optimal stimulation conditions. RESULTS CEPs were observed in all conditions and subjects, characterized by a biphasic negative-positive complex maximal at the vertex (Cz), peaking 190-400 ms after stimulus onset, preceded by a negative wave over central-parietal areas contralateral to the stimulated hand. Their magnitude was modulated by stimulation surface, cooling ramp and temperature step. CONCLUSION Rapid innocuous skin cooling elicits robust CEPs at latencies compatible with the conduction velocity of Aδ-fibers. SIGNIFICANCE CEPs can be a complementary tool to the recording of LEPS for assessing the function of small-diameter Aδ-fibers and the spinothalamic tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxane De Keyser
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Arthur Courtin
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - André Dufour
- Centre d'investigations neurocognitives et neurophysiologiques (CI2N), CNRS, University of Strasbourg, France
| | - André Mouraux
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
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48
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Kirimoto H, Tamaki H, Otsuru N, Yamashiro K, Onishi H, Nojima I, Oliviero A. Transcranial Static Magnetic Field Stimulation over the Primary Motor Cortex Induces Plastic Changes in Cortical Nociceptive Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:63. [PMID: 29497371 PMCID: PMC5818436 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) is a novel and inexpensive, non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) technique. Here, we performed non-invasive modulation of intra-epidermal electrical stimulation-evoked potentials (IES-EPs) by applying tSMS or sham stimulation over the primary motor (M1) and somatosensory (S1) cortices in 18 healthy volunteers for 15 min. We recorded EPs after IES before, right after, and 10 min after tSMS. The IES-EP amplitude was significantly reduced immediately after tSMS over M1, whereas tSMS over S1 and sham stimulation did not affect the IES-EP amplitude. Thus, tSMS may affect cortical nociceptive processing. Although the results of intervention for experimental acute pain in healthy subjects cannot be directly translated into the clinical situation, tSMS may be a potentially useful NIBS method for managing chronic pain, in addition to standard of care treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikari Kirimoto
- Department of Sensorimotor Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Tamaki
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Naufumi Otsuru
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Koya Yamashiro
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hideaki Onishi
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Ippei Nojima
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Antonio Oliviero
- FENNSI Group, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, Servicio de Salud de Castilla La Mancha (SESCAM), Toledo, Spain
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Uglem M, Omland PM, Stjern M, Gravdahl GB, Sand T. Habituation of laser-evoked potentials by migraine phase: a blinded longitudinal study. J Headache Pain 2017; 18:100. [PMID: 28971336 PMCID: PMC5624861 DOI: 10.1186/s10194-017-0810-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Migraineurs seem to have cyclic variations in cortical excitability in several neurophysiological modalities. Laser-evoked potentials (LEP) are of particular interest in migraine because LEP specifically targets pain pathways, and studies have reported different LEP-changes both between and during headaches. Our primary aim was to explore potential cyclic variations in LEP amplitude and habituation in more detail with a blinded longitudinal study design. Methods We compared N1 and N2P2 amplitudes and habituation between two blocks of laser stimulations to the dorsal hand, obtained from 49 migraineurs with four sessions each. We used migraine diaries to categorize sessions as interictal (> one day from previous and to next attack), preictal (< one day before the attack), ictal or postictal (< one day after the attack). Also, we compared 29 interictal recordings from the first session to 30 controls. Results N1 and N2P2 amplitudes and habituation did not differ between preictal, interictal and postictal phase sessions, except for a post hoc contrast that showed deficient ictal habituation of N1. Habituation is present and similar in migraineurs in the interictal phase and controls. Conclusions Hand-evoked LEP amplitudes and habituation were mainly invariable between migraine phases, but this matter needs further study. Because hand-evoked LEP-habituation was similar in migraineurs and controls, the present findings contradict several previous LEP studies. Pain-evoked cerebral responses are normal and show normal habituation in migraine. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s10194-017-0810-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Uglem
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. .,NTNU, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, P.B. 8905, N-7491, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Petter Moe Omland
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Marit Stjern
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Trond Sand
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
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50
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Bradley C, Bastuji H, Garcia-Larrea L. Evidence-based source modeling of nociceptive cortical responses: A direct comparison of scalp and intracranial activity in humans. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:6083-6095. [PMID: 28925006 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 08/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Source modeling of EEG traditionally relies on interplay between physiological hypotheses and mathematical estimates. We propose to optimize the process by using evidence gathered from brain imaging and intracortical recordings. METHODS We recorded laser-evoked potentials in 18 healthy participants, using high-density EEG. Brain sources were modeled during the first second poststimulus, constraining their initial position to regions where nociceptive-related activity has been ascertained by intracranial EEG. These comprised the two posterior operculo-insular regions, primary sensorimotor, posterior parietal, anterior cingulate/supplementary motor (ACC/SMA), bilateral frontal/anterior insular, and posterior cingulate (PCC) cortices. RESULTS The model yielded an average goodness of fit of 91% for individual and 95.8% for grand-average data. When compared with intracranial recordings from 27 human subjects, no significant difference in peak latencies was observed between modeled and intracranial data for 5 of the 6 assessable regions. Morphological match was excellent for operculo-insular, frontal, ACC/SMA and PCC regions (cross-correlation > 0.7) and fair for sensori-motor and posterior parietal cortex (c-c ∼ 0.5). CONCLUSIONS Multiple overlapping activities evoked by nociceptive input can be disentangled from high-density scalp EEG guided by intracranial data. Modeled sources accurately described the timing and morphology of most activities recorded with intracranial electrodes, including those coinciding with the emergence of stimulus awareness. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6083-6095, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Bradley
- NEUROPAIN lab, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Inserm U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Hélène Bastuji
- NEUROPAIN lab, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Inserm U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Luis Garcia-Larrea
- NEUROPAIN lab, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Inserm U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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