Imaging Pain

Abstract

The challenges and understanding of acute and chronic pain have been illuminated through the advancement of central neuroimaging. Through neuroimaging research, new technology and findings have allowed us to identify and understand the neural mechanisms contributing to chronic pain. Several regions of the brain are known to be of particular importance for the maintenance and amplification of chronic pain, and this knowledge provides novel targets for future research and treatment. This article reviews neuroimaging for the study of chronic pain, and in particular, the rapidly advancing and popular research tools of structural and functional MRI.

Keywords: Brain-based therapies; Chronic pain; MRI; MVPA; Neuroimaging; Resting-state networks.