Age-related differences in pain sensitivity and regional brain activity evoked by noxious pressure

Cole, Leonie J.; Farrell, Michael J.; Gibson, Stephen J.; Egan, Gary F.

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2008.04.012

« Previous Next »Neurobiology of Aging
Volume 31, Issue 3 , Pages 494-503, March 2010

Age-related differences in pain sensitivity and regional brain activity evoked by noxious pressure

Leonie J. Cole
- Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Department of Clinical Research, National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Corresponding author at: Neuroimaging, Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. Tel.: + 61 3 8344 1897; fax: +61 3 9347 0446.
Michael J. Farrell
- Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Department of Clinical Research, National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
Stephen J. Gibson
- Department of Clinical Research, National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Caulfield Pain Management and Research Centre, Caulfield, Victoria 3162, Australia
Gary F. Egan
- Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia

Received 1 October 2007; received in revised form 15 April 2008; accepted 21 April 2008. published online 30 May 2008.

Abstract

Compared with young adults, older people report more chronic pain complaints, and show reduced tolerance to experimental pain. Atrophy of brain parenchyma in normal ageing is well documented, with grey matter reduction occurring across many regions known to be involved in pain processing. However, the functional consequences of these changes, in particular their contribution toward age-related differences in pain perception and report, are yet to be elucidated. The present study investigated the effects of ageing on supraspinal pain processing by comparing regional brain responses to noxious pressure stimulation in 15 young (aged 26±3 years) and 15 older (aged 79±4 years) adults. Both groups showed significant pain-related activity in a common network of areas including the insula, cingulate, posterior parietal and somatosensory cortices. However, compared with older adults, young subjects showed significantly greater activity in the contralateral putamen and caudate, which could not be accounted for by increased age-associated shrinkage in these regions. The age-related difference in pain-evoked activity seen in the present study may reflect reduced functioning of striatal pain modulatory mechanisms with advancing age.