Table 1 Cortical areas that are implicated in chronic pain conditions by human brain imaging fMRI that are difficult to be investigated by traditional animal pain models
From: Cortical plasticity as a new endpoint measurement for chronic pain
| Cortical area | Clinical pain conditions | Major discovery |
|---|---|---|
| ACC |
Migraine/headache Phantom pain SCI induced pain Chronic back pain |
Altered excitatory transmission Related to increased imaged activity Increased activity with imaged pain Increased activity |
| IC |
Migraine/headache Chronic back pain Hypothically induced pain |
Altered excitatory transmission Increased imaged activity Increased imaged activity |
| PFC |
Migraine/headache Phantom pain SCI induced pain Chronic back pain Hypothically induced pain |
Altered brain metabolism Related to increased imaged activity Increased activity with imaged pain Correlated with spontaneous pain; reduced gray matter density Increased imaged activity |
| S1, S2 |
Migraine/headache Phantom pain SCI induced pain |
Altered sensory transmission Correlation of cortical reorganization Correlated with cortical reorganization |