Neural correlates of interindividual differences in the subjective experience of pain.
Some individuals claim that they are very sensitive to pain, whereas others say that they tolerate pain well. Yet, it is difficult to determine whether such subjective reports reflect true interindividual experiential differences. Using psychophysical ratings to define pain sensitivity and functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess brain activity, we found that highly sensitive individuals exhibited more frequent and more robust pain-induced activation of the primary somatosensory cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and prefrontal cortex than did insensitive individuals. By identifying objective neural correlates of subjective differences, these findings validate the utility of introspection and subjective reporting as a means of communicating a first-person experience.
Coghill
Robert C
RC
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, and Center for the Study of Pharmacological Plasticity in the Presence of Pain, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. rcoghill@wfubmc.edu
McHaffie
John G
JG
Yen
Yi-Fen
YF
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006805:Human Experimentation; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*