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Functional Reorganization of the Default Mode Network across Chronic Pain Conditions

Marwan N. Baliki, Ali Mansour, Alex T. Baria, A. Vania Apkarian

PLoS One September 2, 2014 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106133 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Population Patients with chronic back pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and knee osteoarthritis
Topics Default mode network Neuroplasticity
Keywords Chronic pain Prefrontal cortex Resting State FMRI Osteoarthritis Magnetic resonance imaging Anesthesia Cognition Pathology
Citations 539
Key findings Chronic pain reorganizes the default mode network's connectivity and oscillatory dynamics, with changes correlated to pain intensity and duration.

Abstract

Chronic pain is associated with neuronal plasticity. Here we use resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate functional changes in patients suffering from chronic back pain (CBP), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and knee osteoarthritis (OA). We isolated five meaningful resting-state networks across the groups, of which only the default mode network (DMN) exhibited deviations from healthy controls. All patient groups showed decreased connectivity of medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) to the posterior constituents of the DMN, and increased connectivity to the insular cortex in proportion to the intensity of pain. Multiple DMN regions, especially the MPFC, exhibited increased high frequency oscillations, conjoined with decreased phase locking with parietal regions involved in processing attention. Both phase and frequency changes correlated to pain duration in OA and CBP patients. Thus chronic pain seems to reorganize the dynamics of the DMN and as such reflect the maladaptive physiology of different types of chronic pain.

In the evidence

This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.

  • State of the evidence: Neuroplasticity Mixed

    Chronic pain reorganized the default mode network's connectivity and oscillatory dynamics, with changes correlated to pain intensity and duration.

    Synthesized

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain 2001 Observational study
Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects 2008 Observational cohort
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls 2005 Observational cohort n = 20
Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls 2011 Observational cohort
The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects 2008 Observational study

Citations in the library

Cited by 26

and 21 more in the library

Cites 5

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Default mode network Neuroplasticity