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Age‐Related Changes in Nociceptive Processing in the Human Brain
Author(s) -
QUITON RAIMI L.,
ROYS STEVEN R.,
ZHUO JIACHEN,
KEASER MICHAEL L.,
GULLAPALLI RAO P.,
GREENSPAN JOEL D.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1379.024
Subject(s) - somatosensory system , nociception , functional magnetic resonance imaging , insula , neuroscience , magnetic resonance imaging , psychology , secondary somatosensory cortex , human brain , supplementary motor area , brain activity and meditation , medicine , audiology , electroencephalography , receptor , radiology
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.