ArticleNeurobiology of pain (Cambridge, Mass.)
Investigation of the neural basis of expectation-based analgesia in the human brainstem and spinal cord by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Article in Neurobiology of pain (Cambridge, Mass.). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Placebo effect on brainstem activity associated with capsaicin-evoked urge to cough in healthy humans.The European respiratory journal · 2026Article
- Influence of scanning plane on Human Spinal Cord functional Magnetic Resonance echo planar imaging.PloS one · 2025Article
- Investigating Descending Pain Regulation in Fibromyalgia and the Link to Altered Autonomic Regulation by Means of Functional MRI Data.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Pain is what you think: functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence toward a cognitive and affective approach for pain research.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Structural and Physiological Modeling (SAPM) for the Analysis of Functional MRI Data Applied to a Study of Human Nociceptive Processing.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Proof-of-concept of a novel structural equation modelling approach for the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data applied to investigate individual differences in human pain responses.Human brain mapping · 2023Article
- Distinct neural signaling characteristics between fibromyalgia and provoked vestibulodynia revealed by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging in the brainstem and spinal cord.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Evidence for Integration of Cognitive, Affective, and Autonomic Influences During the Experience of Acute Pain in Healthy Human Volunteers.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
- Music to My Senses: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evidence of Music Analgesia Across Connectivity Networks Spanning the Brain and Brainstem.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Altered Pain in the Brainstem and Spinal Cord of Fibromyalgia Patients During the Anticipation and Experience of Experimental Pain.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe expected intensity of pain resulting from a noxious stimulus has been observed to have a strong influence on the pain that is perceived. The neural basis of pain reduction, as a result of expecting lower pain, was investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the brainstem and spinal cord.
methodsFunctional MRI studies were carried out in a region spanning the brainstem and cervical spinal cord in healthy participants. Participants were familiarized with a noxious heat stimulus and study procedures in advance, and were informed during each trial that either a heat calibrated to produce moderate pain (Base state), or a temperature 1 °C lower (Low state), would be applied to their hand. However, the Base temperature was applied in every trial.
resultsPain ratings were significantly reduced as a result of expecting lower temperatures. FMRI results demonstrate blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) signal variations in response to participants being informed of the stimulus to expect, in advance of stimulation, and in response to stimulation. Significant coordination of BOLD signals was also detected across specific brainstem and spinal cord regions, with connectivity strengths that varied significantly with the study condition, and with individual pain ratings. The results identify regions that are known to be involved with arousal and autonomic regulation.
conclusionsExpectation-based analgesia is mediated by descending regulation of spinal cord nociceptive responses. This regulation appears to be related to arousal and autonomic regulation, consistent with the cognitive/affective dimension of pain.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.