DENTAL FEAR AND ANTICIPATION OF PAIN: IMAGING THE BRAIN

描述：拟议的实验计划旨在评估 恐惧性的大脑功能，伴随着对痛苦刺激的恐惧预期。其 主要目的是确定活动之间的关系， 大脑结构（由局部血流变化定义）， 恐惧唤醒，以及皮层电，内脏和躯体反应， 当期待一个痛苦的刺激时发生。这项研究是由一个 人类情感的动机理论，建立在行为， 心理生理学和神经生理学研究。拟议的研究是 旨在解释神经机制，介导的恐惧疼痛，在正常的 人类，此外，检查可能的个体差异， 男女之间，男女之间， 牙齿恐惧症拟议研究的具体目标是映射神经 在即将到来的痛苦引起的恐惧预期期间大脑的激活 刺激，并将获得的大脑地图与心理生理学 恐惧反应的模式评估三个主要独立变量： 1)预期刺激的类型（电击或无痛 振动触觉）; 2）受试者的牙科恐惧水平（低，高）;和3）性别 个话题吧这八项研究中的每一项（2个刺激类型x 2个恐惧组x 2个 性别）将在磁共振成像（MRI）背景下进行一次， 评估功能性大脑活动，一旦（与新参与者）在一个 模拟MRI环境以获取自主、躯体和中枢（即，EEG） 预期恐惧的生理指标拟议的研究将解决 关于恐惧的神经和心理生理学组织的问题 与即将到来的疼痛有关，以及个体差异如何在恐惧 和/或性别影响这些反应。此外，拟议的方法是， 适应性强，并可随后用于解决其他方面（感官和 （一）疼痛体验。

DESCRIPTION: The proposed experimental program is designed to assess changes in brain function that occur with fearful anticipation of a painful stimulus. Its principal aim is to determine the relationship between activity in specific brain structures (as defined by changes in regional blood flow), reports of fear arousal, and the electrocortical, visceral, and somatic responses that occur when expecting a painful stimulus. This research is driven by a motivational theory of human emotion that is founded on behavioral, psychophysiological, and neurophysiological research. The proposed studies are intended to explicate neural mechanisms that mediate fear of pain in normal humans, and furthermore, to examine possible individual differences in anticipation of pain between men and women, and between those who are low or high in dental fear. The specific aim of the proposed research is to map neural activation in the brain during fearful anticipation evoked by imminent painful stimulation, and to relate the obtained brain maps to psychophysiological patterns of fear reactivity. Three primary independent variables are assessed: 1) The type of anticipated stimulus (electric shock or nonpainful vibrotactile); 2) Dental fear level of the subject (low, high); and 3) Sex of the subject. Each of these eight studies (2 stimulus type x 2 fear groups x 2 sex) will be conducted once in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) context to assess functional brain activity, and once (with new participants) in a simulated MRI context to acquire autonomic, somatic, and central (i.e., EEG) physiological measures of anticipatory fear. The proposed research will address questions concerning the neural and psychophysiological organization of fear associated with imminent pain, as well as how individual differences in fear and/or sex affect these reactions. The proposed methodology is, furthermore, adaptable and can be used subsequently to address other facets (sensory and emotional) of the pain experience.