BrainMap: Falk Eippert - Imaging pain processing in the human spinal cord

Dr. Falk Eippert
Pain Imaging Neuroscience Group
Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences & FMRIB Centre

Title: Imaging pain processing in the human spinal cord

Abstract: The spinal cord is the first part of the central nervous system where nociceptive information is processed and is known to play a substantial role in both acute and chronic forms of pain. It is therefore desirable to non-invasively investigate the human spinal cord, and this has been achieved with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques. However, spinal fMRI faces serious challenges and consequently only few groups have managed to obtain reliable spinal fMRI data. Here, I will look at the problems of spinal fMRI and present findings from studies that were able to overcome these obstacles. I will start out with the notion that we can learn about spinal cord organization by studying the spinal cord at rest, i.e. while subjects do not have to perform any task or receive any external stimulation. While this idea has received a lot of attention with resting-state studies in the brain, it is only beginning to be applied to the spinal cord. I will then move on to task-related studies, where the spatial layout of nociceptive processes in the human spinal cord is described. Once this has been established, I will look at top-down processes that shape these nociceptive responses, such as certain cognitive-motivational factors. Finally, I would like to pose the question: how flexible are the responses of spinal cord neurons? To answer this, I will discuss novel data that interrogates whether the spinal cord is indeed only involved in somatosensory and motor function or whether it can also respond to signals from other sensory modalities and shows learning-related signal changes.