scholarly journals Multiple Somatotopic Representations of Heat and Mechanical Pain in the Operculo-Insular Cortex: A High-Resolution fMRI Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (5) ◽  
pp. 2863-2872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Baumgärtner ◽  
Gian Domenico Iannetti ◽  
Laura Zambreanu ◽  
Peter Stoeter ◽  
Rolf-Detlef Treede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Integration Site ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
The Body ◽  
Noxious Heat ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Posterior Insula ◽  
The Right ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Stimulation Of

Whereas studies of somatotopic representation of touch have been useful to distinguish multiple somatosensory areas within primary (SI) and secondary (SII) somatosensory cortex regions, no such analysis exists for the representation of pain across nociceptive modalities. Here we investigated somatotopy in the operculo-insular cortex with noxious heat and pinprick stimuli in 11 healthy subjects using high-resolution (2 × 2 × 4 mm) 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Heat stimuli (delivered using a laser) and pinprick stimuli (delivered using a punctate probe) were directed to the dorsum of the right hand and foot in a balanced design. Locations of the peak fMRI responses were compared between stimulation sites (hand vs. foot) and modalities (heat vs. pinprick) within four bilateral regions of interest: anterior and posterior insula and frontal and parietal operculum. Importantly, all analyses were performed on individual, non-normalized fMRI images. For heat stimuli, we found hand-foot somatotopy in the contralateral anterior and posterior insula [hand, 9 ± 10 (SD) mm anterior to foot, P < 0.05] and in the contralateral parietal operculum (SII; hand, 7 ±10 mm lateral to foot, P < 0.05). For pinprick stimuli, we also found somatotopy in the contralateral posterior insula (hand, 9 ±10 mm anterior to foot, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the response to heat stimulation of the hand was 11 ± 12 mm anterior to the response to pinprick stimulation of the hand in the contralateral (left) anterior insula ( P < 0.05). These results indicate the existence of multiple somatotopic representations for pain within the operculo-insular region in humans, possibly reflecting its importance as a sensory-integration site that directs emotional responses and behavior appropriately depending on the body site being injured.

Posterior Corpus Callosum and Interhemispheric Transfer of Somatosensory Information: An fMRI and Neuropsychological Study of a Partially Callosotomized Patient

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1071-1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara Fabri ◽  
Gabriele Polonara ◽  
Maria Del Pesce ◽  
Angelo Quattrini ◽  
Ugo Salvolini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Interhemispheric Transfer ◽  
The Body ◽  
Somatosensory Information ◽  
Direct Demonstration ◽  
Neuropsychological Study ◽  
Drug Resistant Epilepsy ◽  
The Right ◽  
Stimulation Of

Interhemispheric somatosensory transfer was studied by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological tests in a patient who underwent resection of the corpus callosum (CC) for drug-resistant epilepsy in two stages. The first resection involved the anterior half of the body of CC and the second, its posterior half and the splenium. For the fMRI study, the hand was stimulated with a rough sponge. The neuropsychological tests included: Tactile Naming Test (TNT), Same-Different Recognition Test (SDRT), and Tactile Finger Localization Test (intra- and intermanual tasks, TFLT). The patient was studied 1 week before and then 6 months and 1 year after the second surgery. Before this operation, unilateral tactile stimulation of either hand activated contralaterally the first (SI) and second (SII) somatosensory areas and the posterior parietal (PP) cortex, and SII and PP cortex ipsilaterally. All three tests were performed without errors. In both postoperative sessions, somatosensory activation was observed in contralateral SI, SII, and PP cortex, but not in ipsilateral SII and PP cortex. Performance was 100% correct in the TNT for the right hand, but below chance for the left; in the other tests, it was below chance except for TFLT in the intramanual task. This case provides the direct demonstration that activation of SII and PP cortex to stimulation of the ipsilateral hand and normal interhemispheric transfer of tactile information require the integrity of the posterior body of the CC.

Left/Right Symbolism and the Body in Ancient Maya Iconography and Culture

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel W. Palka
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Social Order ◽  
The Body ◽  
Classic Maya ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
New Information ◽  
Symbolic Meanings ◽  
The Right ◽  
And Behavior

Throughout Maya history the left and right sides of the human body, left/right spatial orientation, and handedness have had important cultural and symbolic meanings. This essay examines left/right symbolism in relation to the body, which is generally overlooked in studies of archaeological societies and material culture, and discusses how it relates to ancient Maya ideology and behavior. New information from Classic Maya iconography, plus corroborative information from Maya ethnography and cross-cultural investigations, support the proposition that left/right symbolic differences and hierarchies were present in ancient Maya society. For the Classic Maya, as with contemporary Maya peoples, the right hand or side of the body often signified “pure, powerful, or superordinate,” and the left frequently symbolized “weaker, lame, or subordinate” in particular cultural contexts. Hence, in Classic Maya imagery, kings face to their right and use their right hands, while subordinates are oriented to their left and frequently use their left hands. Following comparative anthropological analyses, consideration of handedness and human body symmetry help explain the left/right dichotomy and the apparent primacy of the right in Classic Maya spatial reference, social order, and worldview. The findings of this study have important implications for the examination of left/right symbolism in material culture, images of the body, and ideology in other societies.

scholarly journals P.005 Painful epileptic seizures involving the insula

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. S15-S15
Author(s):  
G Young ◽  
WT Blume
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Examination ◽  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Case Description ◽  
Intense Pain ◽  
Pain Matrix ◽  
Somatosensory Cortices ◽  
Posterior Insula ◽  
The Right ◽  
Stimulation Of

Background: We have previously described painful epileptic seizures involving the primary and second somatosensory cortices. A recently encountered 24 year old man described left hemicorporial, painful seizures in association with a tumor involving the right insula. Methods: Case description with imaging and EEG. Results: The patient described frequent, sharp pains simultaneously involving the left face, upper and lower limbs and trunk that lasted from several seconds to a minute and were 10/10 in intensity. These markedly lessened in frequency but the severity of the pain persisted with a maintenance dose of 600 mg/day of carbamazepine. Neurological examination, including cortical sensation, was normal. MRI revealed a 3 cm rounded lesion deep to but immediately against the entire right insula but not extending cortically beyond the confines of the insula. EEGs have been unremarkable. The lesion has been stable for over 1 year. Conclusions: Insular seizures can produce brief, sharp, intense pain that involves the whole of the contralateral body simultaneously. This is in keeping with the insula as part of the pain matrix with connections with the thalamus. Stimulation of the posterior insula can produce hemicorporial pain without a march similar to that experienced by our patient.

The role of the right anterior insular cortex in the right hemisphere preponderance of stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN): An fMRI study

2009 ◽  
Vol 450 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasunori Kotani ◽  
Yoshimi Ohgami ◽  
Yumiko Kuramoto ◽  
Tetsuji Tsukamoto ◽  
Yusuke Inoue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Anterior Insular Cortex ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Stimulus Preceding Negativity ◽  
The Right

Further Studies on the Electrophysiological Anatomy of the Left and Right Giant Cells in Aplysia

1967 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-193
Author(s):  
G. M. HUGHES
Keyword(s):  
Giant Cell ◽  
Giant Cells ◽  
Simultaneous Recording ◽  
The Body ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Synaptic Inputs ◽  
Side Collision ◽  
The Right ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. Electrophysiological investigations have shown that the giant cell in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal ganglia (RGC) and the giant cell of the left pleural ganglion (LGC) have axonal branches in the main parapodial and pedal nerves on both sides of the body. There is also a branch of the RGC in the branchial nerve. 2. The A spike recorded in the LGC following antidromic stimulation of nerves on the left side is usually larger than that resulting from stimulation of nerves on the right side. Collision experiments suggest that transmission can always occur at the main branching from left to right, but that it is not always possible in the opposite direction. 3. The effectiveness of synaptic inputs to the LGC and RGC from the main nerves has been compared. The synaptic potentials recorded simultaneously in the two cells were very similar in their general form following stimulation of a given nerve, but there were differences in latency. Inputs from the left side tend to be more effective on the LGC and from the right side on the RGC, but only slightly and not in all preparations. Inputs from nerves which enter the abdominal ganglia were generally more effective on the RGC than the LGC, but again not in all cases. The threshold for spike initiation is usually lower for the LGC than the RGC. 4. The presence of a number of interneurones common to these two cells was shown by simultaneous recording. The precise location of such interneurones was not established, but the order of appearance of unitary EPSPs, and the interval between them, showed that some interneurones were in the abdominal ganglia and others in ganglia of the circumoesophageal ring. It is suggested that the presence of these interneurones accounts for the general similarity in the compound EPSPs recorded in the two cells in response to synaptic inputs. 5. There is a direct synaptic pathway between the cells from right to left, but evidence for a connexion in the reverse direction was only found in a single specimen of Aplysia fasciata. The unitary postsynaptic potential recorded for these direct connexions is biphasic in form. This direct connexion does not seem to be present in all species of Aplysia. 6. Comparison of some of the membrane properties of the LGC and RGC is made. Both cells are similar with respect to their resistance and capacitance and both show anomalous rectification in their current voltage curves. They are both H cells. The excitability of the LGC is usually greater than that of the RGC as indicated by the responses to intrasomatic stimulation. 7. It is concluded that the two giant cells are homologous cells which innervate many parts of the foot and parapodia on both sides and receive convergent input from all over the body. Possible ways in which they might integrate such inputs are discussed.

Spatial and temporal variations in pacemaking and conduction in the isolated renal pelvis

1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (4) ◽  
pp. F567-F574 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Lammers ◽  
H. R. Ahmad ◽  
K. Arafat
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Renal Pelvis ◽  
Refractory Period ◽  
Conduction Block ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
The Body ◽  
High Resolution Mapping ◽  
Resolution Mapping ◽  
Preceding Interval ◽  
And Behavior

In renal pelvis preparations isolated from the sheep, the location of the pacemaker and the pathway of conduction of the electrical impulse in the pelvis were analyzed in detail. An electrophysiological acquisition system was used allowing simultaneous recordings from 240 extracellular electrodes. Reconstruction of the spread of activity showed that the site of the pelvis pacemaker was, in virtually all cases, located at the pelvicalyceal border and never in the body of the pelvis or in the area of the pelviureteric junction. One single pacemaker was responsible for a particular spread of activation, and fusion of activity originating from two or more pacemakers did not place. Furthermore, spontaneous shifts of the pacemaker could occur from one site to another along the pelvicalyceal border. Conduction from the site of the current pacemaker to the pelviureteric junction and the ureter was slow, inhomogeneous, and contorted. Multiple instances of partial or total conduction block were seen at all levels in the pelvis and were not restricted to the pelviureteric junction. The occurrence of the conduction block did not seem to be related to the length of the preceding interval, implying that the refractory period did not play a major role in the genesis of intrapelvic conduction block. In conclusion, high-resolution mapping of the renal pelvis is possible and reveals location and behavior of the pacemaker and documents inhomogeneities in conduction and conduction block.

Bilateral Frontal Activation Associated with Cutaneous Stimulation of Elixir Field: An fMRI Study

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (02) ◽  
pp. 207-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes S. Chan ◽  
Mei-Chun Cheung ◽  
Yu Leung Chan ◽  
David K. W. Yeung ◽  
Wan Lam
Keyword(s):  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
The Body ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
External Stimulation ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Postcentral Gyrus ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Neurophysiological Basis ◽  
Stimulation Of

Elixir Field, or Dan Tian, is the area where energy is stored and nourished in the body according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although Dan Tian stimulation is a major concept in Qigong healing and has been practiced for thousands of years, and while there are some recent empirical evidence of its effect, its neurophysiological basis remains unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activations associated with external stimulation of the lower Elixir Field in ten normal subjects, and compared the results with the stimulation of their right hands. While right-hand stimulation resulted in left postcentral gyrus activation, stimulation of the lower Elixir Field resulted in bilateral activations including the medial and superior frontal gyrus, middle and superior temporal gyrus, thalamus, insula, and cingulate gyrus. These findings suggest that stimulation of the Elixir Field is not only associated with activation of the sensory motor cortex but also with cortical regions that mediate planning, attention, and memory.

scholarly journals Psychic Tonus, Body Schema and the Parietal Lobes: A Multiple Lesion Case Analysis

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. J. Braun ◽  
S. Desjardins ◽  
S. Gaudelet ◽  
A. Guimond
Keyword(s):  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Hemispheric Specialization ◽  
Body Schema ◽  
The Body ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Hemisphere Lesion ◽  
The Right ◽  
Internal Experience ◽  
And Behavior

The psychic tonus model (Braun and colleagues, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006) states that the left hemisphere is a “booster” of internal experience and behavior in general, and that the right hemisphere is a “dampener”. Twenty-five patients with a “positive” extreme disturbance of body schema (somatoparaphrenia) and 37 patients with a “negative” disturbance of body schema (autotopagnosia or Gerstmann’s syndrome), all following a unilateral parietal lesion, were found in the literature and were analyzed to test predictions from Braun’s “psychic tonus” model. As expected, patients with a positive syndrome had a right hemisphere lesion significantly more frequently, and those with a negative syndrome had a left hemisphere lesion significantly more frequently. Thus the psychic tonus model of hemispheric specialization, previously supported with regard to psychomotor baseline, libido, talkativeness, memory, auditory and visual perceptual tonus, now incorporates the tonus of representation of the body (body schema) in the parietal lobes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document