Title
Repeated pain induces adaptations of intrinsic brain activity to reflect past and predict future pain.
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed a persistent architecture of intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) in the signal of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of humans and other species. ICNs are characterized by coherent ongoing activity between distributed brain regions during rest, in the absence of externally oriented behavior. While these networks strongly reflect anatomical connections, the relevance of ICN activity for human behavior remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether intrinsic brain activity adapts to repeated pain and encodes an individual's experience. Healthy subjects received a short episode of heat pain on 11 consecutive days. Across this period, subjects either habituated or sensitized to the painful stimulation. This adaptation was reflected in plasticity of a sensorimotor ICN (SMN) comprising pain related brain regions: coherent intrinsic activity of the somatosensory cortex retrospectively mirrored pain perception; on day 11, intrinsic activity of the prefrontal cortex was additionally synchronized with the SMN and predicted whether an individual would experience more or less pain during upcoming stimulation. Other ICNs of the intrinsic architecture remained unchanged. Due to the ubiquitous occurrence of ICNs in several species, we suggest intrinsic brain activity as an integrative mechanism reflecting accumulated experiences.
Year
DOI
Venue
2011
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.04.011
NeuroImage
Keywords
Field
DocType
Intrinsic connectivity network,Pain,Resting state,Plasticity,Intrinsic brain activity,Learning,Prediction,Memory
Developmental psychology,Neuroscience,Functional magnetic resonance imaging,Prefrontal cortex,Resting state fMRI,Psychology,Brain activity and meditation,Somatosensory system,Neuroimaging,Intrinsic activity,Stimulation
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
57
1
1053-8119
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
6
0.44
3
Authors
9