A5061193968- Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Action Observation and Synchronization
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Motor Control and Adaptation
- Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Sport Psychology and Performance
- Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
- Cancer survivorship and care
- Face Recognition and Perception
- Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Biochemical effects in animals
- Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques
- Anesthesia and Pain Management
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
2014-2025
Sapienza University of Rome
2013
University of Udine
1994-2004
Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche
1996
Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena
1994
Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physiology
1992
Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica
1984-1991
The intensity and spatial distribution of functional activation in the left precentral postcentral gyri during actual motor performance (MP) mental representation [motor imagery (MI)] self-paced finger-to-thumb opposition movements dominant hand were investigated fourteen right-handed volunteers by magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques. Significant increases mean normalized fMRI signal intensities over values obtained control (visual imagery) tasks found a region including anterior...
Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess the cortical areas active during observation of mouth actions performed by humans and individuals belonging other species (monkey dog). Two types were presented: biting oral communicative (speech reading, lip-smacking, barking). As a control, static images same shown. Observation biting, regardless individual performing action, determined two activation foci (one rostral one caudal) in inferior parietal lobule an pars opercularis...
Anticipation of pain is a complex state that may influence the perception subsequent noxious stimuli. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study changes activity cortical nociceptive networks in healthy volunteers while they expected somatosensory stimulation one foot, which might be painful (subcutaneous injection ascorbic acid) or not. Subjects had no previous experience stimulus. Mean fMRI signal intensity increased over baseline values during anticipation and actual...
Objective Tactile spatial acuity is routinely tested in neurology to assess the state of dorsal column system. In contrast, for pain not assessed, having never been systematically characteri z ed. More than a century after initial description tactile across body, we provide first systematic whole‐body mapping pain. Methods We evaluated 2‐point discrimination thresholds both nociceptive‐selective and stimuli several skin regions. Thresholds were estimated using pairs simultaneous stimuli,...
Porro, Carlo A., Valentina Cettolo, Maria Pia Francescato, and Patrizia Baraldi. Temporal intensity coding of pain in human cortex. J. Neurophysiol. 80:3312–3320, 1998. We used a high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique healthy right-handed volunteers to demonstrate cortical areas displaying changes activity significantly related the time profile perceived experimental somatic over course several minutes. Twenty-four subjects (ascorbic acid group) received...
Looking at still images of body parts in situations that are likely to cause pain has been shown be associated with activation some brain areas involved processing. Because involves both sensory components and negative affect, it is interest explore whether the visually evoked representations other emotions overlap. By means event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, here we compare recruited, female volunteers, by observation painful, disgusting, or neutral stimuli delivered one...
Despite growing interest in the placebo effect, neural correlates of conditioned analgesia are still incompletely understood. We investigated herein on brain activity during conditioning and post-conditioning phases a experimental paradigm, using event-related fMRI 31 healthy volunteers. Brief laser heat stimuli delivered to one foot (either right or left) were preceded by different visual cues, signalling either painful alone, accompanied (sham) analgesic procedure. Cues procedure followed...
Background/Objectives: Fake pain expressions are more intense, prolonged, and include non-pain-related actions compared to genuine ones. Despite these differences, individuals struggle detect deception in direct tasks (i.e., when asked liars). Regarding neural correlates, while observation has been extensively studied, little is known about the distinctions between processing genuine, fake, suppressed facial expressions. This study seeks address this gap using authentic stimuli an implicit...
Abstract To investigate whether motor imagery involves ipsilateral cortical regions, we studied haemodynamic changes in portions of the cortex 14 right‐handed volunteers during actual performance (MP) and kinesthetic (MI) simple sequences unilateral left or right finger movements, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Increases mean normalized fMRI signal intensities over values obtained control (visual imagery) task were found both MP MI posterior part precentral gyrus...
The effects of an anesthetic dose (100 mg/kg) ketamine, a phencyclidine derivative, on local rates cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) and CBF (LCBF) have been investigated by the quantitative [ 14 C]2-deoxyglucose C]iodoantipyrine techniques in unparalyzed, spontaneously breathing rat. In ketamine-injected animals, LCGU was significantly increased some limbic structures decreased inferior colliculus, vestibular, cerebellar nuclei. degree spatial distribution drug-induced changes similar for...
Although the spinal cord is output station of central motor system, little known about relationships between its functional activity and willed movement parameters in humans. We investigated here blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal changes cervical during a simple finger-to-thumb opposition task 13 right-handed volunteers, using dedicated array 16 receive-only surface coils on 3 Tesla MRI system. In first experiment, we found significant fMRI increases...
The present fMRI study was aimed at assessing the cortical areas active when individuals observe non-object-directed actions (mimed, symbolic, and meaningless), they imagine performing those same actions. signal increases in common between action observation motor imagery were found premotor cortex a large region of inferior parietal lobule. While activation overlapped that previously during imagination object-directed actions, lobe increase not restricted to intraparietal sulcus region,...
Most imaging studies on the human pain system have concentrated so far spatial distribution of pain-related activity. In present study, we investigated similarities and differences between temporal patterns brain activity related to touch vs. perception. To this end, adopted an event-related functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) paradigm allowing us separately assess stimulus anticipation, perception, coding. The fMRI signal increases following brief mechanical noxious or non-noxious...