%A González-Roldán,Ana M. %A Terrasa,Juan L. %A Sitges,Carolina %A van der Meulen,Marian %A Anton,Fernand %A Montoya,Pedro %D 2020 %J Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience %C %F %G English %K aging 1,resting-state 2,functional connectivity 3,pain perception 4,pain-related network 5 %Q %R 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00116 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2020-May-07 %9 Original Research %# %! Pain and resting state connectivity in older adults %* %< %T Age-Related Changes in Pain Perception Are Associated With Altered Functional Connectivity During Resting State %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2020.00116 %V 12 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1663-4365 %X Aging affects pain experience and brain functioning. However, how aging leads to changes in pain perception and brain functional connectivity has not yet been completely understood. To investigate resting-state and pain perception changes in old and young participants, this study employed region of interest (ROI) to ROI resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis of imaging data by using regions implicated in sensory and affective dimensions of pain, descending pain modulation, and the default-mode networks (DMNs). Thirty-seven older (66.86 ± 4.04 years; 16 males) and 38 younger healthy participants (20.74 ± 4.15 years; 19 males) underwent 10 min’ eyes-closed resting-state scanning. We examined the relationship between rsFC parameters with pressure pain thresholds. Older participants showed higher pain thresholds than younger. Regarding rsFC, older adults displayed increased connectivity of pain-related sensory brain regions in comparison to younger participants: increased rsFC between bilateral primary somatosensory area (SI) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and between SI(L) and secondary somatosensory area (SII)-(R) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). Moreover, decreased connectivity in the older compared to the younger group was found among descending pain modulatory regions: between the amygdala(R) and bilateral insula(R), thalamus(R), ACC, and amygdala(L); between the amygdala(L) and insula(R) and bilateral thalamus; between ACC and bilateral insula, and between periaqueductal gray (PAG) and bilateral thalamus. Regarding the DMN, the posterior parietal cortex and lateral parietal (LP; R) were more strongly connected in the older group than in the younger group. Correlational analyses also showed that SI(L)-SII(R) rsFC was positively associated with pressure pain thresholds in older participants. In conclusion, these findings suggest a compensatory mechanism for the sensory changes that typically accompanies aging. Furthermore, older participants showed reduced functional connectivity between key nodes of the descending pain inhibitory pathway.