Pain-related cerebral activation is altered by a distracting cognitive task
It has previously been suggested that the activity in sensory regions of the brain can be
modulated by attentional mechanisms during parallel cognitive processing. To investigate
whether such attention-related modulations are present in the processing of pain, the
regional cerebral blood flow was measured using [15O] butanol and positron emission
tomography in conditions involving both pain and parallel cognitive demands. The painful
stimulus consisted of the standard cold pressor test and the cognitive task was a …
modulated by attentional mechanisms during parallel cognitive processing. To investigate
whether such attention-related modulations are present in the processing of pain, the
regional cerebral blood flow was measured using [15O] butanol and positron emission
tomography in conditions involving both pain and parallel cognitive demands. The painful
stimulus consisted of the standard cold pressor test and the cognitive task was a …