Age-related changes in nociceptive processing in the human brain.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare cortical nociceptive responses to painful contact heat in healthy young (ages 22-30, n = 7) and older (ages 56-75, n = 7) subjects. Compared to young subjects, older subjects had significantly smaller pain-related fMRI responses in anterior insula (aINS) (P < 0.04), primary somatosensory cortex (S1) (P = 0.03), and supplementary motor area (P = 0.02). Gray matter volumes in S1 and aINS were significantly smaller for the older group (P = 0.02 and 0.0001, respectively), suggesting reduced processing capacity in these regions that might account for smaller pain-related fMRI responses.
Quiton
Raimi L
RL
Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA. rquiton@umaryland.edu
Roys
Steven R
SR
Zhuo
Jiachen
J
Keaser
Michael L
ML
Gullapalli
Rao P
RP
Greenspan
Joel D
JD
D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology