Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Meta Analysis
Pain Induced Changes in Brain Oxyhemoglobin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Functional NIRS Studies.
Neuroimaging studies show that nociceptive stimuli elicit responses in an extensive cortical network. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) allows for functional assessment of changes in oxyhemoglobin (HbO), an indirect index for cortical activity. Unlike functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), fNIRS is portable, relatively inexpensive, and allows subjects greater function. No systematic review or meta-analysis has drawn together the data from existing literature of fNIRS studies on the effects of experimental pain on oxyhemoglobin changes in the superficial areas of the brain. ⋯ Pain affects the prefrontal and sensory-motor cortices of the brain and can be measured using fNIRS. Implications of this study may lead to a simple and readily accessible objective measure of pain.