Decoding Chronic Pain With fMRI

Observational Study to Determine Abnormalities in Resting State fMRI in Chronic Back Pain.

Recent evidence suggests that chronic pain is associated with abnormal connectivity between brain regions associated with the processing of pain. We aim to test the diagnostic power of resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose patients with chronic back pain. Using new methods of image acquisition and analysis we aim to develop a computational method to correctly classify patients and matched control subjects.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18-60
• pain > 6months
• right-handed
• non-smoking
• mechanical back pain

Exclusion Criteria:

• significant neurological or psychiatric disease
• major systemic illness
• MRI exclusion criteria