This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. This pilot study is designed to investigate brain activation using functional brain imaging in response to a cold stimulus. Several methods to map brain activity in response to a stimulus have been described. Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have made it possible to locate areas of brain activation without using a radioactive contrast agent and therefore provide an opportunity to study cold sensation in conscious humans. Previous studies have demonstrated the activation of several brain sites in response to heat and pin-prick stimuli.1,2 Although exposure to cold (cold water/ice water) has been studied, it is not clear what part of the brain responds to 'cold' rather than the tactile sensation of an extremity being immersed into a water bath. 3,4 We propose to study responses to the immersion of an extremity (arm or foot) into a cold-water bath of 2-5 C and contrast that sensation with exposure to a neutral temperature of 32 C (skin temperature). At 2-5 C, water is expected to be perceived as painful. Therefore, we expect to learn about brain activation in response to cold pain and to contrast that pattern of brain activation from activation in response to a neutral (32 C) temperature. Hypothesis: Immersion of an extremity in cold water (2-5 C) activates different areas of the brain when compared to immersion of an extremity in water of a neutral temperature (32 C). We expect some areas of overlapping activation.
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