Gamma-band oscillations of pain and nociception: A systematic review and meta-analysis of human and rodent studies

Zhenjiang Li; Libo Zhang; Yuxuan Zeng; Qing Zhao; Li Hu

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105062

Gamma-band oscillations of pain and nociception: A systematic review and meta-analysis of human and rodent studies

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2023 Mar:146:105062. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105062. Epub 2023 Jan 20.

Authors

Zhenjiang Li¹, Libo Zhang¹, Yuxuan Zeng², Qing Zhao³, Li Hu⁴

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
² Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: zhaoq@psych.ac.cn.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: huli@psych.ac.cn.

PMID: 36682424
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105062

Abstract

Pain-induced gamma-band oscillations (GBOs) are one of the most promising biomarkers of the pain experience. Although GBOs reliably encode pain perception across different individuals and species, considerable heterogeneity could be observed in the characteristics and functions of GBOs. However, such heterogeneity of GBOs and its underlying sources have rarely been detailed previously. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize the temporal, frequential, and spatial characteristics of GBOs and summarize the functional significance of distinct GBOs. We found that GBO heterogeneity was mainly related to pain types, with a higher frequency (∼66 Hz) GBOs at the sensorimotor cortex elicited by phasic pain and a lower frequency (∼55 Hz) GBOs at the prefrontal cortex associated with tonic and chronic pains. Positive correlations between GBO magnitudes and pain intensity were observed in healthy participants. Notably, the characteristics and functions of GBOs seemed to be phylogenetically conserved across humans and rodents. Altogether, we provided a comprehensive description of heterogeneous GBOs in pain and nociception, laying the foundation for clinical applications of GBOs.

Keywords: Biomarker; Cross-species studies; Gamma-band oscillations; Heterogeneity; Meta-analyses; Nociception; Pain.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review
Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Chronic Pain*
Electroencephalography
Humans
Nociception*
Pain Perception
Rodentia