Disruption of default mode network dynamics in acute and chronic pain states
Z. Alshelh, K.K. Marciszewski, R. Akhter, F. Di Pietro, E.P. Mills, E.R. Vickers, C.C. Peck, G.M. Murray, L.A. Henderson
NeuroImage: Clinical October 19, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.10.019 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with chronic orofacial pain and healthy controls |
| Intervention | tonic pain stimulus |
| Duration | 20-minute tonic pain stimulus |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Citations | 176 |
| Key findings | Similar alterations in default mode network function occur in healthy individuals during acute noxious stimuli and in individuals with chronic pain. |
Abstract
It has been proposed that pain competes with other attention-demanding stimuli for cognitive resources, and many chronic pain patients display significant attention and mental flexibility deficits. These alterations may result from disruptions in the functioning of the default mode network (DMN) which plays a critical role in attention, memory, prospection and self-processing, and recent investigations have found alterations in DMN function in multiple chronic pain conditions. Whilst it has been proposed that these DMN alterations are a characteristic of pain that is chronic in nature, we recently reported altered oscillatory activity in the DMN during an acute, 5 minute noxious stimulus in healthy control subjects. We therefore hypothesize that altered DMN activity patterns will not be restricted to those in chronic pain but instead will also occur in healthy individuals during tonic noxious stimuli. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure resting state infra-slow oscillatory activity and functional connectivity in patients with chronic orofacial pain at rest and in healthy controls during a 20-minute tonic pain stimulus. We found decreases in oscillatory activity in key regions of the DMN in patients with chronic pain, as well as in healthy controls during tonic pain in addition to changes in functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and areas of the DMN in both groups. The results show that similar alterations in DMN function occur in healthy individuals during acute noxious stimuli as well as in individuals with chronic pain. These DMN changes may reflect the presence of pain per se and may underlie alterations in attentional processes that occur in the presence of pain.
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 11
- Are psychedelics the answer to chronic pain: A review of current literature Pain Practice January 4, 2023
- The Effects of Tryptamine Psychedelics in the Brain: A meta-Analysis of Functional and Review of Molecular Imaging Studies Frontiers in Pharmacology September 29, 2021
- Chronic pain as an emergent property of a complex system and the potential roles of psychedelic therapies. Frontiers in Pain Research April 19, 2024
- Altered network homogeneity of the default mode network in patients with tension-type headache Frontiers in Neurology September 1, 2026
- Brain Changes Underlying Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Improvement in Response to Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction Neurogastroenterology & Motility April 1, 2026
and 6 more in the library
Cites 6
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Neuroimage June 13, 2008
- Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience July 6, 2009
- Functional Reorganization of the Default Mode Network across Chronic Pain Conditions PLoS One September 2, 2014
- Enhanced Medial Prefrontal-Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Chronic Pain and Its Association with Pain Rumination Journal of Neuroscience March 12, 2014
and 1 more in the library