Principles & Practice of Pain Medicine > Part II. Pain: General Principles and Evaluation > Chapter 10. Measuring Pain with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Milan Stojanovic

Measuring Pain with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Introduction

"Pain is recognized as a sensory and emotional experience in humans. Unfortunately, there is no objective test for measuring pain. This has hampered both the clinical management and the scientific understanding of pain. In the clinical setting, physicians daily encounter difficulties in diagnosing chronic pain conditions. The findings of commonly used testing modalities (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], computed tomography, electromyography) are frequently normal. History and physical examination are highly subjective tests and prone to examiner bias. Complaints of chronic pain patients are frequently labeled "psychogenic" in origin. The majority of chronic pain patients suffer from depression; however, it is difficult to determine if depression is a consequence of chronic pain or vice versa. Indeed, emotional and pain brain networks share similar anatomic structures...."