Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research on the human brainstem (BS) and spinal cord (SC) has identified extensive BS/SC resting-state networks (RSNs) by showing spontaneous coordinated blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) signal fluctuations in the absence of a stimulus. Studies have shown that these networks can be influenced by participants’ level of arousal or attention (e.g., watching a video), and linked network function to autonomic homeostatic regulation. Here we explore how the cognitive state of expecting pain can influence connectivity in these networks. Data from two studies (a predictable pain stimulus study, and a resting-state study) were compared to show the effects of expecting pain on BS/SC networks, and how networks differed from networks associated with the resting-state. In each study, BOLD fMRI data were obtained from the cervical SC and brainstem in healthy participants at 3 tesla using a T2-weighted single-shot fast spin-echo imaging method. Functional connectivity was investigated within the entire 3D volume by means of structural equation modeling (SEM) and analyses of covariance (ANCOVA). Results showed extensive connectivity within/across BS and SC regions during the expectation of pain, and ANCOVA analyses showed that connectivity in specific components of these networks varied with individual pain sensitivity. Comparing these results to RSN fluctuations revealed commonalities in coordination between BS and SC regions, and specific BS–BS connectivity fluctuations unique to the expectation of pain. Based on the regions involved, these results provide evidence of brainstem regulation specific to the expectation of pain.

Details

Title
Coordinated Human Brainstem and Spinal Cord Networks during the Expectation of Pain Have Elements Unique from Resting-State Effects
Author
Ioachim, Gabriela 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Powers, Jocelyn M 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Warren, Howard J M 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Stroman, Patrick W 2 

 Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada; [email protected] (G.I.); [email protected] (J.M.P.); [email protected] (H.J.M.W.) 
 Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada; [email protected] (G.I.); [email protected] (J.M.P.); [email protected] (H.J.M.W.); Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada; Department of Physics, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 
First page
568
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20763425
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2436507315
Copyright
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.