Understanding of human pain in the brain through topographic mapping and quantification of laser-evoked potentials: An integration

Abstract

Zaslansky et al. [17] contend that LEP to painful stimulation is purely cognitive processing of the P300 types and is, therefore, a reflection of the emotional processing triggered by the primary pain sensation. Such a broad statement defies the facts presented in our original Focus article and the well-balanced analysis presented by the commentary from Treede et al. [14] or the position expressed by Kakigi [10] in this issue. The confusion is not interminology but in the temporospatial sequence of activities in LEPs. Recent results [5,6,9,15] clearly demonstrate that the N1 (C3' IN150 or C4' IN150) mid-latency component originates from the contralateral somatosensory area and later exhibits bilateral activation at the homologous temporoparietal sites. This activation can be reasonably associated only to the sensory (detection, but discriminatory?) processing in LEPs. The late N2/P2