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bioRxiv · 10.1101/790709

Pain-free resting-state functional brain connectivity predicts individual pain sensitivity

Spisak, T.·Kincses, B.·Schlitt, F.·Zunhammer, M.·Schmidt-Wilcke, T.·Kincses, Z. T.·Bingel, U.
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Abstract

Individual differences in pain perception are of key interest in basic and clinical research as altered pain sensitivity is both a characteristic and a risk factor for many pain conditions. It is, however, unclear how individual susceptibility to pain is reflected in the pain-free resting-state brain activity and functional connectivity.\n\nHere, we identified and validated a network pattern in the pain-free resting-state functional brain connectome that is predictive of interindividual differences in pain sensitivity. Our predictive network signature (https://spisakt.github.io/RPN-signature) allows assessing the individual susceptibility to pain without applying any painful stimulation, as might be valuable in patients where reliable behavioural pain reports cannot be obtained. Additionally, as a direct, non-invasive readout of the supraspinal neural contribution to pain sensitivity, it may have broad implications for translational research and the development and assessment of analgesic treatment strategies.

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Spisak, T., Kincses, B., Schlitt, F., Zunhammer, M., Schmidt-Wilcke, T., Kincses, Z. T., Bingel, U.. 2019-10-02. Pain-free resting-state functional brain connectivity predicts individual pain sensitivity. https://doi.org/10.1101/790709

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