Hippocampal correlates of pain in healthy elderly adults: A pilot study

Molly E. Zimmerman, PhD

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology
Bronx, NY

Previous imaging studies of patients with chronic pain have identified abnormalities in the thalamus, prefrontal cortex, cingulate, and somatosensory cortex, each of which is involved in nociceptive processing. Few studies, however, have focused on pain-related changes in the hippocampus, a structure that contributes to pain processing and shows age-related decreases in volume. Zimmerman and colleagues performed a pilot study of 20 non-demented elderly adults to analyze hippocampal correlates of pain. Participants’ pain levels were recorded and hippocampal volume data and neuronal integrity were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Interestingly, older adults who reported more pain over the last 4 weeks had smaller hippocampal volumes. Chornic pain was associated with trends toward smaller hippocampal volumes and decreased neuronal integrity in this region, suggesting potential roles of the hippocampus in pain perception. These results may reflect hippocampal consequences of pathologic processes induced by pain, such as local excitotoxicity and inflammation.

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