Capsaicin-Induced fMRI and Behavioral Pain Responses in 8 Primates

Featuring BOLD fMRI imaging and behavioral tail-withdrawal data from 8 Cynomolgus monkeys subjected to capsaicin-induced thermal sensation. Collected by Abu Bakar Ali Asad and published in 2020, the study measures brain activation changes across 4-cycle thermal challenges (42°C vs 35°C) before and after topical capsaicin application. The records include physiological responses in the 'pain matrix' and behavioral latency measurements.

Use Cases

• Mapping BOLD signal intensity changes in the somatosensory and cingulate cortices to identify neural correlates of hyperalgesia
• Comparing tail withdrawal latency at 42°C and 48°C to quantify behavioral sensitivity post-capsaicin application
• Benchmarking fMRI activation patterns in the cerebellum as a translational biomarker for preclinical analgesic testing

Strengths

• Dual-modality data combining fMRI brain imaging with behavioral tail-withdrawal metrics
• Controlled 4-cycle thermal challenge protocol (42°C ON / 35°C OFF)
• Statistically significant BOLD signal increases (p<0.02) identified in the pain matrix

Limitations

• Small sample size of 8 subjects
• Restricted to a single chemical irritant (capsaicin) and thermal stimuli
• Potential for label noise if behavioral latency is manually recorded

Provenance

Source

Dryad repository, authored by Abu Bakar Ali Asad

Collection Method

Experimental observation using fMRI sensors and water bath behavioral testing

Freshness

Last updated June 2020; static research dataset.