Functional Connectivity Between Brain and Spinal Cord During Noxious Heat Stimulation

Motivation: Pain is modulated by complex brain-spinal interactions, which are not fully understood and could reveal biomarkers for chronic pain management. Goal(s): To investigate corticospinal functional connectivity during noxious heat stimulation and identify pain-related brain-spinal interactions. Approach: Twenty-eight participants underwent simultaneous brain and spinal cord imaging during thermal stimulation of the right forearm, focusing on connectivity between the spinal cord and brain. Results: Significant positive correlations were found in between the spinal cord and brain regions involved in pain processing. Stronger spinal-insula and PAG connectivity linked to higher pain ratings, highlighting the descending pain modulatory system as a potential biomarker for pain perception. Impact: This study advances the understanding of pain processing by revealing significant corticospinal connectivity during noxious heat stimulation. These findings could lead to the development of neurophysiological biomarkers for pain perception, improving diagnosis and enabling personalized treatments for chronic pain disorders.