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Spinning Brains: Animations of Brain Structure and
Function
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Pain-induced brain activation in highly sensitive
individuals as assessed with functional MRI (fMRI). Note that the
primary somatosensory cortex and anterior cingulate cortex had a
greater magnitude of activation in this group of 6 sensitive
individuals than in 6 insensitive individuals (shown below).
Quicktime format, 3.4 Mbytes. (click
here) |
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Pain-induced brain activation in insensitive
individuals as assessed with functional MRI (fMRI). Note that the
thalamus displayed generally similar activation in both highly
sensitive (above) and insensitive individuals.
Quicktime format,
3.4 Mbytes. (click
here) |
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A volume-rendered brain combined with a surface
rendered head, both derived from MRI data.
Quicktime format, 3.4
Mbytes. (click
here) |
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Another movie derived from a highly processed
magnetic resonance image (MRI) of a human head.
Quicktime format,
2.5 Mbytes. (click
here)
Mpeg format 376 K (click
here) |
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Heat pain-induced activation of the cerebellum,
thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex is revealed as the head
rotates and the brain is eroded away.
Mpeg format - low quality
3.9 Mbytes (click
here) |
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Two brain areas important in somatosensory
processing are shown in this movie. Both the thalamus (lower
activation focus) and the primary somatosensory cortex (upper
activation focus) are activated by acute pain produced by injection
of capsaicin (chile pepper extract) into the skin. Regional
activations are determined by statistical analysis of positron
emission tomography (PET) scans from 14 subjects. These activations
are then displayed on the average of all subjects' MRI
scans.
Quicktime format, 2.3 Mbytes. (click
here)
Mpeg format - low quality 257 K (click
here) |
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The thalamic and primary somatosensory activations
in the movie above can be better viewed in this interactive three
dimensional object.
QuickTime VR format, 1.5 Mbytes. (click
here) |
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This movie fades between a functional positron
emission tomography (PET) image and a structural MRI image of the
exact same brain region of the same subject. These images are from a
subject with neuropathic pain. Note the relatively low blood flow in
the left portion of the thalamus, the region which receives input
from the painful zone.The decreased blood flow is a consistent
finding from several different types of chronic pain.
Quicktime
format, 3.6 Mbytes. (click
here)
Mpeg format 275K (click
here) |
We welcome any questions. For additional
information, reprints, or permission to publish any of these images please
contact
Dr. Robert Coghill
Department of Neurobiology
and Anatomy
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1010
rcoghill@wfubmc, phone: (336)
716-4284, fax: (336) 716-4534
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