QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (37) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by DaSilva, A. F. M. Articles by Borsook, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by DaSilva, A. F. M. Articles by Borsook, D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

The Journal of Neuroscience, September 15, 2002, 22(18):8183-8192

Somatotopic Activation in the Human Trigeminal Pain Pathway

Alex F. M. DaSilva¹, Lino Becerra¹, Nikos Makris², Andrew M. Strassman³, R. Gilberto Gonzalez¹, Nina Geatrakis¹, and David Borsook¹

¹ Center for Pain Functional Neuroimaging and Therapy Research, Athinoula Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, and ² Department of Radiology, Center for Morphometric Analysis, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, and ³ Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to image pain-associated activity in three levels of the neuraxis: the medullary dorsal horn, thalamus, and primary somatosensory cortex. In nine subjects, noxious thermal stimuli (46°C) were applied to the facial skin at sites within the three divisions of the trigeminal nerve (V1, V2, and V3) and also to the ipsilateral thumb. Anatomical and functional data were acquired to capture activation across the spinothalamocortical pathway in each individual. Significant activation was observed in the ipsilateral spinal trigeminal nucleus within the medulla and lower pons in response to at least one of the three facial stimuli in all applicable data sets. Activation from the three facial stimulation sites exhibited a somatotopic organization along the longitudinal (rostrocaudal) axis of the brain stem that was consistent with the classically described "onion skin" pattern of sensory deficits observed in patients after trigeminal tractotomy. In the thalamus, activation was observed in the contralateral side involving the ventroposteromedial and dorsomedial nuclei after stimulation of the face and in the ventroposterolateral and dorsomedial nuclei after stimulation of the thumb. Activation in the primary somatosensory cortex displayed a laminar sequence that resembled the trigeminal nucleus, with V2 more rostral, V1 caudal, and V3 medial, abutting the region of cortical activation observed for the thumb. These results represent the first simultaneous imaging of pain-associated activation at three levels of the neuraxis in individual subjects. This approach will be useful for exploring central correlates of plasticity in models of experimental and clinical pain.

Key words: pain; functional magnetic resonance imaging; trigeminal system; trigeminal nucleus; noxious heat; spinal nucleus of V; somatotopy; ventrobasal complex; somatosensory cortex

---

Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience  0270-6474/02/22188183-10$05.00/0

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Balslev and R. C. Miall Eye Position Representation in Human Anterior Parietal Cortex J. Neurosci., September 3, 2008; 28(36): 8968 - 8972. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. F.M. DaSilva, C. Granziera, J. Snyder, and N. Hadjikhani Thickening in the somatosensory cortex of patients with migraine Neurology, November 20, 2007; 69(21): 1990 - 1995. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H Kosaka, N Omata, M Omori, T Shimoyama, T Murata, K Kashikura, T Takahashi, J Murayama, Y Yonekura, and Y Wada Abnormal pontine activation in pathological laughing as shown by functional magnetic resonance imaging. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, December 1, 2006; 77(12): 1376 - 1380. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Becerra, S. Morris, S. Bazes, R. Gostic, S. Sherman, J. Gostic, G. Pendse, E. Moulton, S. Scrivani, D. Keith, et al. Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain Alters Responses in CNS Circuits to Mechanical (Brush) and Thermal (Cold and Heat) Stimuli. J. Neurosci., October 18, 2006; 26(42): 10646 - 10657. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. M. McAllen, M. Farrell, J. M. Johnson, D. Trevaks, L. Cole, M. J. McKinley, G. Jackson, D. A. Denton, and G. F. Egan Human medullary responses to cooling and rewarming the skin: A functional MRI study PNAS, January 17, 2006; 103(3): 809 - 813. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. G. Shields and P. J. Goadsby Propranolol modulates trigeminovascular responses in thalamic ventroposteromedial nucleus: a role in migraine? Brain, January 1, 2005; 128(1): 86 - 97. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Johansen-Berg, T. E.J. Behrens, E. Sillery, O. Ciccarelli, A. J. Thompson, S. M. Smith, and P. M. Matthews Functional-Anatomical Validation and Individual Variation of Diffusion Tractography-based Segmentation of the Human Thalamus Cereb Cortex, January 1, 2005; 15(1): 31 - 39. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T Kamitani, Y Kuroiwa, and M Hidaka Isolated hypesthesia in the right V2 and V3 dermatomes after a midpontine infarction localised at an ipsilateral principal sensory trigeminal nucleus J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, October 1, 2004; 75(10): 1508 - 1509. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Borsook, A. F. M. DaSilva, A. Ploghaus, and L. Becerra Specific and Somatotopic Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Activation in the Trigeminal Ganglion by Brush and Noxious Heat J. Neurosci., August 27, 2003; 23(21): 7897 - 7903. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help