Michael J Farrell1. 1. Florey Neuroscience Institutes, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. michael.farrell@florey.edu.au
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This review summarizes the scientific literature addressing the effects of aging on pain processing in the brain. DESIGN: A literature search was undertaken using PubMed and search terms including pain, aging, and brain. SETTINGS AND PATIENTS: Studies including healthy older people and older people with painful disorders were reviewed. MEASURES: Publications reporting the outcomes of neuroimaging techniques including positron emission tomography, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, and electroencephalography in samples incorporating older people were reviewed. RESULTS: Age-related decreases in regional brain volume occur in structures implicated in pain processing, and are most pronounced in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, whereas age-related atrophy in brainstem regions involved in pain modulation is less pronounced. Functional brain imaging has revealed decreased pain activation in the putamen and insula among older people during extrinsic stimuli, but any effects of aging on the processing of clinical pain are yet to be reported. CONCLUSIONS: The network of brain regions involved in pain processing are subject to age-related changes in structure, but that the functional implications of these changes are yet to be determined. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
OBJECTIVE: This review summarizes the scientific literature addressing the effects of aging on pain processing in the brain. DESIGN: A literature search was undertaken using PubMed and search terms including pain, aging, and brain. SETTINGS AND PATIENTS: Studies including healthy older people and older people with painful disorders were reviewed. MEASURES: Publications reporting the outcomes of neuroimaging techniques including positron emission tomography, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, and electroencephalography in samples incorporating older people were reviewed. RESULTS: Age-related decreases in regional brain volume occur in structures implicated in pain processing, and are most pronounced in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, whereas age-related atrophy in brainstem regions involved in pain modulation is less pronounced. Functional brain imaging has revealed decreased pain activation in the putamen and insula among older people during extrinsic stimuli, but any effects of aging on the processing of clinical pain are yet to be reported. CONCLUSIONS: The network of brain regions involved in pain processing are subject to age-related changes in structure, but that the functional implications of these changes are yet to be determined. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Authors: Todd B Monroe; John C Gore; Li Min Chen; Lorraine C Mion; Ronald L Cowan Journal: J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol Date: 2012-12-31 Impact factor: 2.680
Authors: Randy L Gollub; Irving Kirsch; Nasim Maleki; Ajay D Wasan; Robert R Edwards; Yiheng Tu; Ted J Kaptchuk; Jian Kong Journal: J Pain Date: 2018-01-08 Impact factor: 5.820
Authors: Changgui Shi; Sujun Qiu; Scott M Riester; Vaskar Das; Bingqian Zhu; Atiyayein A Wallace; Andre J van Wijnen; Fackson Mwale; James C Iatridis; Daisuke Sakai; Gina Votta-Velis; Wen Yuan; Hee-Jeong Im Journal: J Orthop Res Date: 2018-03-14 Impact factor: 3.494
Authors: S Duke Han; Aron S Buchman; Konstantinos Arfanakis; Debra A Fleischman; David A Bennett Journal: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry Date: 2012-11-05 Impact factor: 3.485
Authors: Barbara Resnick; N Jennifer Klinedinst; Laura Yerges-Armstrong; Jay Magaziner; Denise Orwig; Marc C Hochberg; Ann L Gruber-Baldini; Gregory E Hicks; Susan G Dorsey Journal: Pain Manag Nurs Date: 2016-06 Impact factor: 1.929
Authors: Nasim Maleki; Gabi Barmettler; Eric A Moulton; Steven Scrivani; Rosanna Veggeberg; Egilius L H Spierings; Rami Burstein; Lino Becerra; David Borsook Journal: Pain Date: 2015-07 Impact factor: 7.926
Authors: Juan L Terrasa; Pedro Montoya; Carolina Sitges; Marian van der Meulen; Fernand Anton; Ana M González-Roldán Journal: Front Aging Neurosci Date: 2021-07-06 Impact factor: 5.750