Pain perception in relation to emotional learning.

Noninvasive brain imaging has established the participation of the cortex in pain perception and identified a long list of brain structures involved. More recent studies show the interaction between clinical chronic pain conditions and the reorganization of the brain functionally, anatomically, and chemically. Mechanisms underlying this reorganization hint to essential links between pain, especially its affective component with emotional learning and memory. This review is a discussion of the rationale and evidence for the interaction between these modalities, emphasizing underlying mechanisms.