Connectivity of cingulo-frontal cortex and midbrain in pain modulation by attention

Neuroimaging studies with positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have delineated a human pain matrix in vivo, including cortical and subcortical structures. Despite the recognition of cerebral structures engaged in pain transmission, the cerebral mechanisms involved in pain modulation, in particular antinociception, are still not well understood. Here, we investigated healthy volunteers using fMRI during experimental heat pain and attentional distraction induced by a visual incongruent color-word Stroop task. A factorial design permitted categorical and covariation an…