FUNCTIONAL MAPPING OF PAIN-RELATED ACTIVATION WITH ECHO-PLANAR MRI - SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SII-INSULAR REGION

ACTIVATION in numerous regions of the brain is likely to be involved i n the complex neural network function of pain perception. To detect th e cortical representation during nonpainful and painful stimuli, which were presented using electrical finger stimulation in six normal righ t-handed male volunteers, we performed echo-planar functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a 1.5-T MR system that scanned the su pratentorial region of the brain, we obtained multislice BOLD-based fu nctional MR images with single-shot gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (EPI). The data show that dispersed brain regions are activated during painful stimulation, and especially demonstrate the significance of t he SII-insular region in pain perception. Neuro Report 9: 2285-2289 (C ) 1998 Rapid Science Ltd.