Retrieving autobiographical experience of painful events in a phantom limb: brain concomitants in a case report

• Published in: Neurocase Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 41 - 48
• Main Authors: Borg, Céline, Faillenot, Isabelle, Peyron, Roland, Laurent, Bernard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 01.02.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Subjects: autobiographical memory; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain Mapping; Case reports; cerebral activity; Cortex (parietal); Female; fMRI; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Hippocampus; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Life Sciences; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Memory, Episodic; Mental Recall - physiology; Middle Aged; Neurons and Cognition; Operculum; Oxygen - blood; Pain memory; phantom limb; Phantom Limb - diagnostic imaging; Phantom Limb - physiopathology; Surveys and Questionnaires; fMRI; Pain memory; cerebral activity; phantom limb; autobiographical memory
• ISSN: 1355-4794; 1465-3656; 1362-4970
• DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2018.1429636

We report the case of a patient who had an important experience with painful events, allowing the investigation of brain concomitants to painful (P) memories in fMRI. The patient had to recall P events that were contrasted with non-painful (NP) memories. Painful memories of the right lower limb activated the left paracentral lobule,fronto-insular operculum and superior parietal cortex. Additionally, whilst the recall of non-painful events activated the hippocampus, the recall of painful events did not enhance the hippocampal signal to significant levels. These suggest that brain activations differ for the autobiographical recall of painful and non-painful memories.