Brain changes associated with impaired attention function in chronic pain

Atsuo Yoshino; Naofumi Otsuru; Go Okada; Keisuke Tanaka; Satoshi Yokoyama; Yasumasa Okamoto; Shigeto Yamawaki

doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105806

Brain changes associated with impaired attention function in chronic pain

Brain Cogn. 2021 Nov:154:105806. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105806. Epub 2021 Oct 14.

Authors

Atsuo Yoshino¹, Naofumi Otsuru², Go Okada³, Keisuke Tanaka⁴, Satoshi Yokoyama³, Yasumasa Okamoto³, Shigeto Yamawaki⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Division of Frontier Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan. Electronic address: yoshino@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Physical Therapy, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimamichou, Kita-ku, Niigata 950-3198, Japan.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Division of Frontier Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
⁴ Division of Clinical Psychology, Health and Special Support, Joetsu University of Education, 1, Yamaashiki-cho, Jyouetsu, Nigata 943-8521, Japan.
⁵ International Affectome Laboratory Center, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.

PMID: 34656037
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105806

Abstract

Attention function is thought to be important in chronic pain, with the pathology of chronic pain closely associated with cognitive-emotional components. However, there have been few neuroimaging studies of the relationship between attention function and chronic pain. We used the method of functional connectivity analysis for resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data and the Attention Network Test-Revision (ANT-R) to clarify the attention-related pathology of chronic pain. We performed rs-fMRI and ANT-R on a group of 26 chronic pain (somatoform pain disorder) patients and 28 age-matched healthy controls. A significant group difference in validity effects, a component of ANT-R, emerged (F_1,46 = 5.91, p = 0.019), and the chronic pain group exhibited slower reaction times. Decreased brain connectivity of the left insula and left frontal regions was confirmed in chronic pain patients (p^FWE < 0.05), and connectivity was negatively correlated with validity effects (r = -0.29, permutation test p = 0.033). Further, decreased functional connectivity strength of the right insula and left temporal gyrus in the chronic pain group were confirmed (p^FWE < 0.05). We conclude that poor control of attention function results from deficits of functional connectivity in the left insula and left frontal regions in chronic pain.

Keywords: Attention network test; Chronic pain; Insula; Resting-state fMRI.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain Mapping
Cerebral Cortex / diagnostic imaging
Chronic Pain* / diagnostic imaging
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neuroimaging