Background: Following emotional stimuli, changes in heart rate,
blood pressure and sudomotor activity, which are associated with
changes in regional cerebral activity, feedback to influence the
expression of emotional feelings. In spinal cord injury (SCI), the
efferent generation of sympathetic responses and afferent sensory
feedback of visceral state is impaired, and the integration of bodily
arousal and emotion is altered.
During conditioning-related brain
activity SCI patients, compared to controls, showed attenuation of
subgenual cingulate, ventromedial prefrontal and posterior cingu-
late cortex activity and enhancement of dorsal anterior cingulate,
periaqueductal grey matter and superior temporal gyrus activity.
Conclusion. Our findings suggest impairment in emotion-related
generation of autonomic bodily responses and abnormalities in
brain regions associated with emotional control in patients with
SCI. These early findings warrant further development to support
prevention of emotional dysfunction in SCI.
Clin Auton Res (2007) 17:264–327