Differences in resting cerebellar and prefrontal cortical blood flow in spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain: A brief report

This study investigates the differences in brain activity between individuals with spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain (SCI-NP) and healthy controls. Using a special type of MRI (ASL fMRI), the researchers measured blood flow in different brain regions while participants were at rest. The main finding was that people with SCI-NP had lower blood flow in certain areas of the cerebellum and the insular cortex, while they had higher blood flow in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). These brain regions are known to be involved in processing pain, emotions, and decision-making. These results suggest that SCI-NP is associated with altered brain activity patterns, which may be related to the complex experience of pain, including its emotional and cognitive aspects. Further research with larger studies is needed to confirm these findings and explore the functional connections between these brain regions.

• 1
  Individuals with SCI-related neuropathic pain exhibited significantly reduced resting blood flow in the cerebellum (specifically Crus I/II), the rostral ventromedial medulla, and the left insular cortex compared to healthy controls.
• 2
  In contrast, individuals with SCI-related neuropathic pain showed significantly greater resting blood flow in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) compared to the control group.
• 3
  The observed differences in resting blood flow in regions like the cerebellum and mOFC suggest alterations in the affective-motivational and cognitive-evaluative aspects of pain processing in individuals with SCI-related neuropathic pain.