Frontal Lobe Hemodynamic Responses to Painful Stimulation: A Potential Brain Marker of Nociception.
The purpose of this study was to use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine patterns of both activation and deactivation that occur in the frontal lobe in response to noxious stimuli. The frontal lobe was selected because it has been shown to be activated by noxious stimuli in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. The brain region is located behind the forehead which is devoid of hair, providing a relative ease of placement for fNIRS probes on this area of the head. Based on functional magnetic resonance imaging studies showing blood-oxygenation-level dependent changes in the frontal lobes, we evaluated functional near-infrared spectroscopy measures in response to two levels of electrical pain in awake, healthy human subjects (n = 10; male = 10). Each subject underwent two recording sessions separated by a 30-minute resting period. Data collected from 7 subjects were analyzed, containing a total of 38/36 low/high intensity pain stimuli for the first recording session and 27/31 pain stimuli for the second session. Our results show that there is a robust and significant deactivation in sections of the frontal cortices. Further development and definition of the specificity and sensitivity of the approach may provide an objective measure of nociceptive activity in the brain that can be easily applied in the surgical setting.
Center for Pain and the Brain, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Christopher M
CM
Aasted
Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Meryem A
MA
Yücel
Center for Pain and the Brain, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sarah C
SC
Steele
Center for Pain and the Brain, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Ke
K
Peng
Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
David A
DA
Boas
Center for Pain and the Brain, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Lino
L
Becerra
Center for Pain and the Brain, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
David
D
Borsook
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D059225:Nociception / Q000502:physiology*; D059226:Nociceptive Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult