Insights into pain mechanisms through functional MRI

Recently, functional MRI (fMRI) has emerged as a method capable of objectively measuring the response to pain in the brain of humans and animals. This top-down approach allows for understanding of pain mechanisms and their behavioral outcomes. Studying the functional differences between diseased and healthy brains, the ability to measure the evolution of disease over time, and the modulating effects of drugs or other analgesic approaches is now possible. In this review, the application of fMRI to these areas is presented with potential future applications in drug discovery and development.

Section editors:Frank Porreca – University of Arizona, Tucson, USAMichael Ossipov – University of Arizona, Tucson, USA