Integration of MRI and EEG in pain reserach

Pain is a highly subjective sensory experience which, more than any other sensory experience, varies between and within individuals. Functional imaging studies have shown that the pain experience is subserved by activation of an extended network of brain areas. Electrophysiological recordings with their high temporal resolution revealed different neuronal responses within this network. Phase-locked evoked potentials as well as non-phase-locked induced oscillations have been observed. Recent evidence suggests that these partially overlapping responses represent different steps in the transformation of sensory information into a subjective percept. This information can be integrated with the high spatial resolution of MRI techniques either by simultaneous recordings or by the post-hoc integration of separate recordings. Such combined studies promise novel insights into the spatio-temporal dynamics of pain processing in the human brain.