title: Hypnosis and pain perception: An Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies.
abstract: Several studies reported that hypnosis can modulate pain perception and tolerance by affecting cortical and subcortical activity in brain regions involved in these processes. We conducted an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on functional neuroimaging studies of pain perception under hypnosis to identify brain activation-deactivation patterns occurring during hypnotic suggestions aiming at pain reduction, including hypnotic analgesic, pleasant, or depersonalization suggestions (HASs).
  
  
  
  We searched the PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo databases; we included papers published in peer-reviewed journals dealing with functional neuroimaging and hypnosis-modulated pain perception. The ALE meta-analysis encompassed data from 75 healthy volunteers reported in 8 functional neuroimaging studies.
  
  
  
  HASs during experimentally-induced pain compared to control conditions correlated with significant activations of the right anterior cingulate cortex (Brodmann's Area [BA] 32), left superior frontal gyrus (BA 6), and right insula, and deactivation of right midline nuclei of the thalamus.
  
  
  
  HASs during experimental pain impact both cortical and subcortical brain activity. The anterior cingulate, left superior frontal, and right insular cortices activation increases could induce a thalamic deactivation (top-down inhibition), which may correlate with reductions in pain intensity.
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Fondazione ''P. Alberto Mileno Onlus", Vasto, CH, Italy. Electronic address: antonio.delcasale@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Casale
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University - Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferracuti
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rapinesi
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Rossi
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Angeletti
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sani
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Georgios D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kotzalidis
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Functional neuroimaging; Hypnoanalgesia; Hypnosis; Meta-analysis; Pain perception