Keywords: Functional Connectivity, fMRI (task based), corticospinal fMRI
Motivation: Pain is modulated by complex brain-spinal interactions, which are not fully understood and could reveal biomarkers for chronic pain management.
Goal(s): To investigate corticospinal functional connectivity during noxious heat stimulation and identify pain-related brain-spinal interactions.
Approach: Twenty-eight participants underwent simultaneous brain and spinal cord imaging during thermal stimulation of the right forearm, focusing on connectivity between the spinal cord and brain.
Results: Significant positive correlations were found in between the spinal cord and brain regions involved in pain processing. Stronger spinal-insula and PAG connectivity linked to higher pain ratings, highlighting the descending pain modulatory system as a potential biomarker for pain perception.
Impact: This study advances the understanding of pain processing by revealing significant corticospinal connectivity during noxious heat stimulation. These findings could lead to the development of neurophysiological biomarkers for pain perception, improving diagnosis and enabling personalized treatments for chronic pain disorders.
How to access this content:
For one year after publication, abstracts and videos are only open to registrants of this annual meeting. Registrants should use their existing login information. Non-registrant access can be purchased via the ISMRM E-Library.
After one year, current ISMRM & ISMRT members get free access to both the abstracts and videos. Non-members and non-registrants must purchase access via the ISMRM E-Library.
After two years, the meeting proceedings (abstracts) are opened to the public and require no login information. Videos remain behind password for access by members, registrants and E-Library customers.
Keywords