Pain-induced brain activation in highly sensitive individuals as assessed with functional MRI (fMRI). Note that the primary somatosensory cortex and anterior cingulate cortex had a greater magnitude of activation in this group of 6 sensitive individuals than in 6 insensitive individuals (shown below). Quicktime format, 3.4 Mbytes. (click here)
	Pain-induced brain activation in insensitive individuals as assessed with functional MRI (fMRI). Note that the thalamus displayed generally similar activation in both highly sensitive (above) and insensitive individuals. Quicktime format, 3.4 Mbytes. (click here)
	A volume-rendered brain combined with a surface rendered head, both derived from MRI data. Quicktime format, 3.4 Mbytes. (click here)
	Another movie derived from a highly processed magnetic resonance image (MRI) of a human head. Quicktime format, 2.5 Mbytes. (click here) Mpeg format 376 K (click here)
	Heat pain-induced activation of the cerebellum, thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex is revealed as the head rotates and the brain is eroded away. Mpeg format - low quality 3.9 Mbytes (click here)
	Two brain areas important in somatosensory processing are shown in this movie. Both the thalamus (lower activation focus) and the primary somatosensory cortex (upper activation focus) are activated by acute pain produced by injection of capsaicin (chile pepper extract) into the skin. Regional activations are determined by statistical analysis of positron emission tomography (PET) scans from 14 subjects. These activations are then displayed on the average of all subjects' MRI scans. Quicktime format, 2.3 Mbytes. (click here) Mpeg format - low quality 257 K (click here)
	The thalamic and primary somatosensory activations in the movie above can be better viewed in this interactive three dimensional object. QuickTime VR format, 1.5 Mbytes. (click here)
	This movie fades between a functional positron emission tomography (PET) image and a structural MRI image of the exact same brain region of the same subject. These images are from a subject with neuropathic pain. Note the relatively low blood flow in the left portion of the thalamus, the region which receives input from the painful zone.The decreased blood flow is a consistent finding from several different types of chronic pain. Quicktime format, 3.6 Mbytes. (click here) Mpeg format 275K (click here)

We welcome any questions. For additional information, reprints, or permission to publish any of these images please contact
Dr. Robert Coghill
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1010
rcoghill@wfubmc, phone: (336) 716-4284, fax: (336) 716-4534