Modern Medical Methods: Diagnosing Pain

Pain 'Signature' Spotted on Brain MRIs

Scientists could distinguish physical from emotional pain, discomfort in study

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Amy Norton

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- For the first time, scientists say they've found evidence that physical pain may leave a distinct "signature" in the brain that can be picked up with specialized MRI scans.

The study looked only at short-term pain in healthy people, but researchers hope the findings will lead to better understanding of complex conditions such as chronic severe headaches or fibromyalgia.

When researchers exposed healthy volunteers to a painful dose of heat, it left a reliable pattern of brain activity that could be viewed on functional MRI (fMRI) -- a type of imaging that charts changes in blood flow through the brain.

That so-called "neurologic signature" was able to predict people's subjective pain ratings with more than 90 percent accuracy, and it distinguished heat-induced pain from other feelings -- like warmth, and even emotional pain.

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