Abstract
BackgroundTraditional psychometric measures aimed at characterizing the pain experience often show considerable overlap, due to interlinked affective and modulatory processes under central nervous system control. Neuroimaging studies have been employed to investigate this complexity of pain processing, in an attempt to provide a quantifiable, adjunctive description of pain perception. In this exploratory study, we examine psychometric and neuroimaging data from 38 patients with painful osteoarthritis of the carpometacarpal joint. We had two aims: first, to utilize principal component analysis (PCA) as a dimension reduction strategy across multiple self‐reported endpoints of pain, cognitive and affective functioning; second, to investigate the relationship between identified dimensions and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) as an indirect measure of brain activity underpinning their ongoing pain experiences.MethodsPsychometric data were collected using validated questionnaires. Quantitative estimates of rCBF were acquired using pseudo‐continuous arterial spin‐labelled functional magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsTwo principal components were identified that accounted for 73% of data variance; one related to pain scores and a second to psychological traits. Voxel‐wise multiple regression analysis revealed a significant negative association between the ‘pain score’ component and rCBF to a right temporal lobe cluster, including the amygdala and the parahippocampal cortex.ConclusionWe suggest this association may represent a coping mechanism that aims to reduce fear‐related pain‐anxiety. Further investigation of central brain processing mechanisms in osteoarthritis‐related pain may offer insights into more effective therapeutic strategies.SignificanceThis study demonstrates that dimension reduction using PCA allows insight into pain perception and its affective components in relation to brain activation patterns in patients with painful hand osteoarthritis.
Highlights
Management of chronic pain is often challenging, primarily due to its complex nature, and due to the lack of reliable instruments for quantifying an individual’s experience of pain
Previous brain imaging studies have mainly focused on investigating responses to painful evoked stimuli using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging, a technique best suited to recording responses transient to repeated stimuli with a time course of less than one minute
The arterial spin labelling (ASL) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) modality has increasingly been applied in the field of pain research to investigate brain activity relating to longer duration background or spontaneous pain, a feature of many chronic pain states (Owen et al, 2008, 2010)
Summary
Management of chronic pain is often challenging, primarily due to its complex nature, and due to the lack of reliable instruments for quantifying an individual’s experience of pain. Noninvasive neuroimaging studies have been employed to investigate the complex brain regions involved in pain processing, in an attempt to provide a quantifiable, adjunctive description of pain perception. Neuroimaging studies have been employed to investigate this complexity of pain processing, in an attempt to provide a quantifiable, adjunctive description of pain perception In this exploratory study, we examine psychometric and neuroimaging data from 38 patients with painful osteoarthritis of the carpometacarpal joint. We had two aims: first, to utilize principal component analysis (PCA) as a dimension reduction strategy across multiple self-reported endpoints of pain, cognitive and affective functioning; second, to investigate the relationship between identified dimensions and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) as an indirect measure of brain activity underpinning their ongoing pain experiences. Significance: This study demonstrates that dimension reduction using PCA allows insight into pain perception and its affective components in relation to brain activation patterns in patients with painful hand osteoarthritis
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
