Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics
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Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod · Sep 2005
ReviewThe contribution of neuroimaging techniques to the understanding of supraspinal pain circuits: implications for orofacial pain.
The aim of this article was to give an overview of the current knowledge of supraspinal pain mechanisms derived from neuroimaging studies, and to present data related to chronic orofacial pain disorders. The available studies implied that the anterior cingulate cortex plays a role in the emotional-affective component of pain, as well as in pain-related attention and anxiety. The somatosensory cortices may be involved in encoding spatial, temporal, and intensity aspects of noxious input. ⋯ However, the available studies appeared to be in agreement with those using stimuli to other body parts and those concerning other chronic pain conditions. Overall, the available data suggest that chronic (orofacial) pain states may be related to a dysfunctional brain network and may involve a compromised descending inhibitory control system. The somatosensory cortices, anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex may play a vital role in the pathophysiology of chronic pain and should be the main focus of future neuroimaging studies in chronic pain patients.