How different insula regions shape pain sensations and feelings
Dissociating Sensory and Integrative Pain Processes in the Human Insula
This project will see whether brief electrical stimulation of the front versus back insula changes pain thresholds in patients who have brain electrodes for epilepsy monitoring.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11247552 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to join if you already have electrodes placed in the insula as part of clinical epilepsy monitoring. While in the hospital, researchers will deliver brief, controlled electrical pulses to the anterior and posterior insula and use standardized sensory tests (quantitative sensory testing) to measure changes in pain threshold and perception. The team will compare whether posterior insula stimulation alters basic sensory pain signals while anterior insula stimulation affects higher-order pain features like expectations, emotion, or arousal. Findings will be used to guide development of brain-stimulation approaches tailored to a patient’s specific pain mechanisms.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are patients with medically refractory epilepsy who already have indwelling insular electrodes placed for clinical evaluation at Stanford.
Not a fit: People without implanted intracranial electrodes or whose pain does not involve insula-related processing would not be directly eligible or likely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to tailored brain-stimulation treatments that reduce pain by targeting the insula region most responsible for a person’s symptoms.
How similar studies have performed: Prior intracranial stimulation studies and the investigators' preliminary data indicate stimulation can change pain thresholds, but dissociating posterior sensory versus anterior integrative insula roles in humans is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ramayya, Ashwin — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Ramayya, Ashwin
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.