Question

Two friends agreed to participate in a functional neuroimaging study involving pain perception With agreement of both participants, one was randomly chosen to receive a moderately painful electric shock to their right hand while being scanned in a functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) system. An fMRI scan was also taken of the second participant while watching a video of the electric shock being applied to the first participant (but without receiving the shock itself). The scan of the first participant revealed that four cortical regions increased their metabolic activity in response to the hand shock.

(a) Name these regions
Analysis of the scan of the second participant, however, revealed that only two of these four cortical regions were activated.
(b) Name them and

(c) Explain this result.

Answer 1

(a) The scan of the first participant which has gone through moderately painful electric shock to their right hand will have increased metabolic activity in four cortical areas-

1. Frontal and parietal eye field sensorimotor region

2.Striatum sensorimotor region

3.Middle frontal gyrus

4.Anterior and posterior cingulate cortex

(b) Two of these four cortical regions were activated in second participant that is -

1.Frontal and parietal eye field sensorimotor region

2.2.Striatum sensorimotor region

(C) It is occuring due to eletrophysiological and morphological changes in nerve fibers upon observing the electric shock and receiving on own.