Hypnosis Modulates Activity in Brain Structures Involved in the Regulation of Consciousness

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 887-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Rainville ◽  
Robert K. Hofbauer ◽  
M. Catherine Bushnell ◽  
Gary H. Duncan ◽  
Donald D. Price
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Hypnotic Induction ◽  
Attentional System ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Pet Scans

The notion of consciousness is at the core of an ongoing debate on the existence and nature of hypnotic states. Previously, we have described changes in brain activity associated with hypnosis (Rainville, Hofbauer, Paus, Duncan, Bushnell, & Price, 1999). Here, we replicate and extend those findings using positron emission tomography (PET) in 10 normal volunteers. Immediately after each of 8 PET scans performed before (4 scans) and after (4 scans) the induction of hypnosis, subjects rated their perceived level of “mental relaxation” and “mental absorption,” two of the key dimensions describing the experience of being hypnotized. Regression analyses between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and self-ratings confirm the hypothesized involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the thalamus, and the ponto-mesencephalic brainstem in the production of hypnotic states. Hypnotic relaxation further involved an increase in occipital rCBF that is consistent with our previous interpretation that hypnotic states are characterized by a decrease in cortical arousal and a reduction in cross-modality suppression (disinhibition). In contrast, increases in mental absorption during hypnosis were associated with rCBF increases in a distributed network of cortical and subcortical structures previously described as the brain's attentional system. These findings are discussed in support of a state theory of hypnosis in which the basic changes in phenomenal experience produced by hypnotic induction reflect, at least in part, the modulation of activity within brain areas critically involved in the regulation of consciousness.

Deficits in Selective Attention Following Bilateral Anterior Cingulotomy

1991 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin W. Janer ◽  
José V. Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neuropsychological Measures ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Cognitive Operations ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Attentional System ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
High Level

Positron emission tomographic (PET) studies of normal humans undergoing specific cognitive activation paradigms have identified a region of the anterior cingulate cortex as a component of an anterior, midline attentional system involved in high-level processing selection. However, deficits in attention have not been demonstrated in patients following bilateral anterior cingulotomy, a procedure that results in lesions of adjacent anterior cingulate cortex. Task paradigms used in PET studies that recruit the anterior cingulate cortex were applied to normal, control subjects and to a patient before and after cingulotomy to provide highly sensitive and functionally targeted reaction time measures of attentional performance. In contrast to unchanged performance in several neuropsychological measures, this patient demonstrated specific deficits in attention during the subacute postoperative period, which resolved spontaneously several months after surgery. Such impairment is consistent with the evolving view of the anterior cingulate's involvement in high-level processing selection. These data show the feasibility of using information from PET activation studies of normals in the design of novel chronometric tasks useful for probing abnormalities in specific cognitive operations associated with discrete cortical regions.

Altered Metabolism in Frontal Brain Circuits in Cluster Headache

Cephalalgia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1033-1042 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Sprenger ◽  
KV Ruether ◽  
H Boecker ◽  
M Valet ◽  
A Berthele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Headache ◽  
Fdg Pet ◽  
Brain Metabolism ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Acute Attack ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Positron Emission

Neuroimaging studies have explored cerebral activation patterns in patients with cluster headache (CH) during attacks and have revealed activation of multiple brain areas known to belong to the general pain-processing network. However, it is still unclear which changes in brain metabolism are inherent to the shift from the ‘in bout’ to the ‘out of bout’ period. We measured cerebral glucose metabolism in 11 episodic CH patients during the cluster and again during the remission period with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and compared these data with 11 healthy controls. ‘In bout’ compared with ‘out of bout’ scans were associated with increases of metabolism in the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, insula, thalamus and temporal cortex. Decreases in metabolism were observed in the cerebellopontine area. Compared with healthy volunteers, hypometabolism in the patient group (‘in bout’ and ‘out of bout’) was found in the perigenual ACC, prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex. Thus, FDG-PET in CH patients revealed ‘in bout’ activation of brain structures which are involved in descending pain control. Compared with controls, the regional brain metabolism was constitutively decreased in most of these structures, irrespective of the bout. This finding indicates a deficient top-down modulation of antinociceptive circuits in CH patients. We suggest that trigger mechanisms of CH are insufficiently controlled and thus promote the initiation of the bout period and acute attack.

Cerebral Mechanisms of Hypnotic Induction and Suggestion

1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Rainville ◽  
Robert K. Hofbauer ◽  
Tomáš Paus ◽  
Gary H. Duncan ◽  
M. Catherine Bushnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Perception ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Right ◽  
Hypnotic Suggestions

The neural mechanisms underlying hypnotic states and responses to hypnotic suggestions remain largely unknown and, to date, have been studied only with indirect methods. Here, the effects of hypnosis and suggestions to alter pain perception were investigated in hypnotizable subjects by using positron emission tomography (PET) measures of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of brain electrical activity. The experimental conditions included a restful state (Baseline) followed by hypnotic relaxation alone (Hypnosis) and by hypnotic relaxation with suggestions for altered pain unpleasantness (Hypnosis-with-Suggestion). During each scan, the left hand was immersed in neutral (35°C) or painfully hot (47°C) water in the first two conditions and in painfully hot water in the last condition. Hypnosis was accompanied by significant increases in both occipital rCBF and delta EEG activity, which were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.70, p < 0.0001). Peak increases in rCBF were also observed in the caudal part of the right anterior cingulate sulcus and bilaterally in the inferior frontal gyri. Hypnosis-related decreases in rCBF were found in the right inferior parietal lobule, the left precuneus, and the posterior cingulate gyrus. Hypnosis-with-suggestions produced additional widespread increases in rCBF in the frontal cortices predominantly on the left side. Moreover, the medial and lateral posterior parietal cortices showed suggestion-related increases overlapping partly with regions of hypnosis-related decreases. Results support a state theory of hypnosis in which occipital increases in rCBF and delta activity reflect the alteration of consciousness associated with decreased arousal and possible facilitation of visual imagery. Frontal increases in rCBF associated with suggestions for altered perception might reflect the verbal mediation of the suggestions, working memory, and top-down processes involved in the reinterpretation of the perceptual experience. These results provide a new description of the neurobiological basis of hypnosis, demonstrating specific patterns of cerebral activation associated with the hypnotic state and with the processing of hypnotic suggestions.

Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Human Forebrain Activity During Heat Pain: Analysis by Positron Emission Tomography

2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 951-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L. Casey ◽  
Thomas J. Morrow ◽  
Jürgen Lorenz ◽  
Satoshi Minoshima
Keyword(s):  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Average Intensity ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Heat Stimulation ◽  
Perceived Intensity ◽  
Positron Emission

To learn about the sequence of brain activation patterns during heat pain, we acquired positron emission tomographic (PET) brain scans at different times during repetitive heat stimulation (40 or 50°C; 5-s contact) of each subject's left forearm. Early scans began at the onset of 60 s of stimulation; late scans began after 40 s of stimulation, which continued throughout the 60-s scan period (total stimulus duration 100 s). Each subject (14 normal, right-handed subjects; 10 male, 4 female; ages 18–42) used a visual analog scale to rate the perceived stimulus intensity (0 = no heat, 7 = pain threshold, 10 = barely tolerable pain) after each scan. The 40°C stimulation received an average intensity rating of 2.19 ± 1.22 (mean ± SD) and the 50°C an average rating of 8.93 ± 1.33. During the scan sessions, subjects did not report a difference between early and late scans. To examine the effect of the duration of stimulation specifically, 8 of these subjects rated the perceived intensity of each of 20 sequential 5-s duration contact heat stimuli (40 or 50°C; 100 s of stimulation). We used a graphical method to detect changes in perceived unpleasantness. There was no difference in perceived intensity or unpleasantness during the 40°C stimulation. However, during 50°C stimulation, perceived unpleasantness increased and subjects perceived the last five, but not the second five, stimuli as more intense than the first five stimuli. These psychophysical changes could be mediated by brain structures with increasing activity from early to late PET scans or that are active only during late scans. These structures include the contralateral M1/S1 cortex, bilateral S2 and mid-insular cortex, contralateral VP thalamus, medial ipsilateral thalamus, and the vermis and paravermis of the cerebellum. Structures that are equally active throughout stimulation (contralateral mid-anterior cingulate and premotor cortex) are less likely to mediate these psychophysical changes. Some cortical, but not subcortical, structures showed significant or borderline activation only during the early scans (ipsilateral premotor cortex, contralateral perigenual anterior cingulate, lateral prefrontal, and anterior insular cortex); they may mediate pain-related attentive or anticipatory functions. Overall, the results reveal that 1) the pattern of brain activation and the perception of heat pain both change during repetitive noxious heat stimulation, 2) cortical activity can be detected before subcortical responses appear, and 3) timing the stimulation with respect to the scan period can, together with psychophysical measurements, identify brain structures that are likely to participate in the perception of pain.

The Neural Substrate for Concrete, Abstract, and Emotional Word Lexica A Positron Emission Tomography Study

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Beauregard ◽  
H. Chertkow ◽  
D. Bub ◽  
S. Murtha ◽  
R. Dixon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Word Processing ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Injection Technique ◽  
Emotional Words ◽  
Perceptual Analysis ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Neural Substrate

Viewing of single words produces a cognitively complex mental state in which anticipation, emotional responses, visual perceptual analysis, and activation of orthographic representations are all occurring. Previous PET studies have produced conflicting results, perhaps due to the conflation of these separate processes or the presence of subtle differences in stimulus material and methodology. A PET study of 10 normal individuals was carried out using the bolus H215O intravenous injection technique to examine components of processing of passively viewed words. Subjects viewed blocks of random-letter strings or abstract, concrete, or emotional words (words with positive or negative emotional salience). Baseline conditions were either passive viewing of plus signs or an anticipatory state (viewing plus signs after being warned to expect words or random letters to appear imminently). All words (and to a lesser extent the random letters) produced robust activation of cerebral blood flow in the left posterior temporal lobe, in addition to bilateral occipital activation. Furthermore, emotional words produced activation in orbital and midline frontal structures. Further activation in the left orbital frontal gyrus, the left inferior temporal gyrus, the left caudate nucleus, the anterior cingulate, and the cerebellum could be ascribed to the anticipatory state. This pattern of activity suggests that the occipital regions are recruited for visual-perceptual analysis of words, and the left temporal lobe represents the neural substrate for the orthographic lexicon. In addition, emotionally relevant material produces further processing in limbic brain structures of the frontal lobes. Detailed analysis of the task therefore substantially clarifies the neuroanatomic basis of single-word processing.

Some of the Effects of Acupuncture in Knee Pain May be Due to Activation of the Reward System

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 67-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Lundeberg
Keyword(s):  
Limbic System ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Reward System ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
The Body ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Acupuncture is an ancient therapy with a variety of different explanatory models. A cascade of physiologic effects has been reported, both in the peripheral and the central nervous system, following the insertion of a needle. Clinical trials testing the specific claims of acupuncture have generally tried to focus on testing the efficacy of applying specific techniques and/or specified points. However, different conditions may respond differently to different modes of stimulation. Also, insertion of needles into the body can stimulate effects not dependent on the locations of stimulation. Recently, it was demonstrated that both superficial and deep needling (with de qi/Hibiki) resulted in amelioration of patellofemoral pain and an increased feeling of wellbeing. One area in the brain that is affected by acupuncture stimulation is the limbic system. The limbic system consists of a group of brain structures, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and their interconnections, and connections with the hypothalamus, septal area, and portions of the tegmentum. It contains many of the centres related to emotion and reward. The pleasurable aspect of the acupuncture experience has largely been ignored as it has been considered to be part of its antinociceptive effects. It has previously been reported that physical exercise and electroacupuncture in animals result in modulation of the peptidergic content in limbic structures. These results are supported by recent animal studies in Japan that have clearly demonstrated that acupuncture results in the activation of the reward system. These findings are supported by positron emission tomography studies in patients, which showed that the insula ipsilateral to the site of needling was activated, as well as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate and the midbrain. Taken together, these results suggest that acupuncture, as well as the patient's expectation and belief regarding a potentially beneficial treatment, modulate activity in the reward system.

scholarly journals Towards a functional neuroanatomy of conscious perception and its modulation by volition: implications of human auditory neuroimaging studies

1998 ◽  
Vol 353 (1377) ◽  
pp. 1883-1888 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
D. A. Silbersweig ◽  
E. Stern
Keyword(s):  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Functional Neuroanatomy ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Sensory Awareness ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

Conscious sensory perception and its modulation by volition are integral to human mental life. Functional neuroimaging techniques provide a direct means of identifying and characterizing in vivo the systems-level patterns of brain activity associated with such mental functions. In a series of positron emission tomography activation experiments, we and our colleagues have examined a range of normal and abnormal auditory states that, when contrasted, provide dissociations relevant to the question of the neural substrates of sensory awareness. These dissociations include sensory awareness in the presence and absence of external sensory stimuli, the transition from sensory unawareness to awareness (or vice versa) in the presence of sensory stimuli, and sensory awareness with and without volition. The auditory states studied include hallucinations, mental imagery, cortical deafness modulated by attention, and hearing modulated by sedation. The results of these studies highlight the distributed nature of the functional neuroanatomy that is sufficient, if not necessary, for sensory awareness. The probable roles of unimodal association (as compared with primary) cortices, heteromodal cortices, limbic/paralimbic regions and subcortical structures (such as the thalamus) are discussed. In addition, interactions between pre– and post–rolandic regions are examined in the context of top–down, volitional modulation of sensory awareness.

scholarly journals The Role of the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex and Anterior Cingulate in Stimulus-Response Association Reversals

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Parris ◽  
Ngoc J. Thai ◽  
Abdelmalek Benattayallah ◽  
Ian R. Summers ◽  
Timothy L. Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Motor Response ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Behavioral Rules ◽  
Subcortical Regions

Many complex tasks require us to flexibly switch between behavioral rules, associations, and strategies. The prefrontal cerebral cortex is thought to be critical to the performance of such behaviors, although the relative contribution of different components of this structure and associated subcortical regions are not fully understood. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain activity during a simple task which required repeated reversals of a rule linking a colored cue and a left/right motor response. Each trial comprised three discrete events separated by variable delay periods. A colored cue instructed which response was to be executed, followed by a go signal which told the subject to execute the response and a feedback instruction which indicated whether to “hold” or “flip” the rule linking the colored cue and response. The design allowed us to determine which brain regions were recruited by the specific demands of preparing a rule contingent motor response, executing such a response, evaluating the significance of the feedback, and reconfiguring stimulus-response (SR) associations. The results indicate that an increase in neural activity occurs within the anterior cingulate gyrus under conditions in which SR associations are labile. In contrast, lateral frontal regions are activated by unlikely/unexpected perceptual events regardless of their significance for behavior. A network of subcortical structures, including the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus and striatum were the only regions showing activity that was exclusively correlated with the neurocognitive demands of reversing SR associations. We conclude that lateral frontal regions act to evaluate the behavioral significance of perceptual events, whereas medial frontal-thalamic circuits are involved in monitoring and reconfiguring SR associations when necessary.

scholarly journals Meditation and the Brain in Health and Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kieran C. R. Fox ◽  
B. Rael Cahn
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Psychiatric Disease ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Pet Scans

The aim of this chapter is to provide an accessible introduction to the neuroscience of meditation. First, a review of studies examining the relationship between meditation and alterations in the structure of the brain’s grey and white matter (so-called morphometric neuroimaging) is offered. Next, the chapter discusses findings from functional neuroimaging methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and what they have taught us about the brain’s patterns of activity during different forms of meditation, how meditation alters the brain’s response to various tasks and experiences, and how the expertise of long-term meditators might be harnessed to help us explore subtle aspects of human cognition. Third, the chapter reviews electrophysiological methods of measuring brain activity during meditation, such as electroencephalography (EEG), and how these findings relate to what we have learned from morphometric and functional neuroimaging. Finally, there is a discussion of the implications of this research and of meditation more generally for brain health and psychological well-being. Specifically, the discussion focuses on how meditation might offset the deficits related to cognitive aging, as well as help ameliorate the symptoms and underlying neural substrates associated with neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease.

scholarly journals Meditation and the brain in health and disease

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kieran Fox ◽  
B. Rael Cahn
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Psychiatric Disease ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Pet Scans

The aim of this chapter is to provide an accessible introduction to the neuroscience of meditation. First, we review studies examining the relationship between meditation and alterations in the structure of the brain’s grey and white matter (so-called morphometric neuroimaging). Next, we discuss findings from functional neuroimaging methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and what they have taught us about the brain’s patterns of activity during different forms of meditation, how meditation alters the brain’s response to various tasks and experiences, and how the expertise of long-term meditators might be harnessed to help us explore subtle aspects of human cognition. Third, we review electrophysiological methods of measuring brain activity during meditation, such as electroencephalography (EEG), and how these findings relate to what we have learned from morphometric and functional neuroimaging. Finally, we discuss the implications of this research and of meditation more generally for brain health and psychological well-being. Specifically, we focus on how meditation might ameliorate the deficits related to cognitive aging, as well as help ameliorate the symptoms and underlying neural substrates associated with neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease.

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