Background: Cortical reorganization and its potential pathological significance is increasingly studied in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Yet, detailed cortical maps of the healthy human back are lacking. To better understand cortical changes during the development and maintenance of CLBP, a detailed baseline characterization resulting from sensory thoracolumbar afferent input is needed. To this end, a novel pneumatic vibrotactile stimulation method was used to stimulate paraspinal sensory afferents while studying their cortical representations in unprecedented detail. Methods: In 30 young healthy participants, vibrotactile stimulations at 20Hz and 80Hz were applied bilaterally at nine locations along the thoracolumbar axis while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed. A whole-brain searchlight representational similarity analysis (RSA) in combination with different experimental models of paraspinal afferent input was used to investigate the representational organization of the respective neuronal activation patterns. Results: For 80Hz, the organizational structure of the neuronal activation patterns yielded the best fit for a model based on segmental distances between the stimulated paraspinal locations, located bilaterally in the primary (S1) and secondary somatosensory (S2) cortices. For 20Hz, this observation was restricted to the right S1. Conclusions: fMRI during paraspinal vibrotactile stimulation in combination with RSA is a powerful tool that can be used to establish highly detailed cortical maps of the human back. The current findings constitute a promising basis to further explore cortical reorganization and its potential pathological meaning in CLBP patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.