title: Neuroticism influences brain activity during the experience of visceral pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One particularly important individual dynamic known to influence the experience of pain is neuroticism, of which little is known about in visceral pain research. Our aim was to study the relationship between neuroticism, psychophysiologic response, and brain processing of visceral pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one healthy volunteers (15 male; age range, 22-38 years) participated in the study. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was used to assess neuroticism. Skin conductance level, pain ratings, and functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired during anticipation of pain and painful esophageal distention. The effect of neuroticism was assessed using correlation analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a wide spread of neuroticism scores (range, 0-22) but no influence of neuroticism on skin conductance level and pain tolerance or pain ratings. However, a positive correlation between brain activity and neuroticism during anticipation was found in regions associated with emotional and cognitive pain processing, including the parahippocampus, insula, thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex. These regions showed a negative correlation with neuroticism during pain (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides novel data suggesting higher neuroticism is associated with engagement of brain regions responsible for emotional and cognitive appraisal during anticipation of pain but reduced activity in these regions during pain. This may reflect a maladaptive mechanism in those with higher neuroticism that promotes overarousal during anticipation and avoidance coping during pain.
authors.affiliation: Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, England. s.j.coen@qmul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Coen
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.forename: Adam D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumari
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giampietro
authors.forename: Mick
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brammer
authors.forename: Steven C R
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Qasim
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Aziz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000294:innervation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011594:Psychometrics; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014781:Viscera / Q000503:physiopathology*