Tonic thermonociceptive stimulation selectively modulates ongoing neural oscillations in the human posterior insula: Evidence from intracerebral EEG

The human insula is an important target for spinothalamic input, but there is still no consensus on its role in pain perception and nociception. In this study, we show that the human insula exhibits activity preferential for sustained thermonociception. Using intracerebral EEG recorded from the insu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2019-03, Vol.188, p.70-83
Main Authors: Liberati, Giulia, Algoet, Maxime, Santos, Susana Ferrao, Ribeiro-Vaz, Jose Geraldo, Raftopoulos, Christian, Mouraux, André
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Cerebral Cortex - physiology
Convulsions & seizures
EEG
Electrodes
Electroencephalography
Epilepsy
Female
Hot Temperature
Humans
Male
Nociception - physiology
Oscillations
Pain
Pain perception
Patients
Physical Stimulation
Tactile stimuli
Vibration
Vibrations
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The human insula is an important target for spinothalamic input, but there is still no consensus on its role in pain perception and nociception. In this study, we show that the human insula exhibits activity preferential for sustained thermonociception. Using intracerebral EEG recorded from the insula of 8 patients (2 females) undergoing a presurgical evaluation of focal epilepsy (53 contacts: 27 anterior, 26 posterior), we “frequency-tagged” the insular activity elicited by sustained thermonociceptive and vibrotactile stimuli, by periodically modulating stimulation intensity at a fixed frequency of 0.2 Hz during 75 s. Both types of stimuli elicited an insular response at the frequency of stimulation (0.2 Hz) and its harmonics, whose magnitude was significantly greater in the posterior insula compared to the anterior insula. Compared to vibrotactile stimulation, thermonociceptive stimulation exerted a markedly greater 0.2 Hz modulation of ongoing theta-band (4–8 Hz) and alpha-band (8–12 Hz) oscillations. These modulations were also more prominent in the posterior insula compared to the anterior insula. The identification of oscillatory activities preferential for thermonociception could lead to new insights into the physiological mechanisms of nociception and pain perception in humans.
ISSN:1053-8119
1095-9572
DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.11.059