Chronic back-pain flares switch ON the brain's self network
The full story behind my Short: UC San Diego arterial spin-label fMRI in 114 chronic low back pain patients: movement-triggered flares activated the Default Mode Network; heat pain deactivated it. Observational imaging — British Journal of Anaesthesia 2026.
Observational brain imaging only — not a treatment trial. This page is not medical advice. Ask your doctor about chronic pain management.
The short version
UC San Diego researchers found that movement-triggered flares of chronic low back pain switch on the brain's Default Mode Network (the "self network"), while ordinary heat pain switches it off — the usual acute-pain pattern [1][2][3].
What they found
Lead author Fadel Zeidan: in every pain study, pain usually deactivates the DMN; here a chronic-pain flare turned it on — "you start to identify the experience with who you are" [1][2]. Published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia; NIH/NCCIH funded [3].
Limits and caveats
- Observational imaging. Does not prove a new therapy works [1][3].
- Not a treatment trial. Mentions of mindfulness or psilocybin are early directions, not proven fixes from this study.
- Not medical advice. Ask a doctor about chronic pain care.
Watch the Short
Why it matters
If chronic pain flares recruit identity-related brain networks, symptom-only drugs may miss part of the problem. That frames why mind-body approaches are being studied — without claiming they are proven cures.
Full narration (transcript)
Chronic low-back pain flares switch on the brain's self network — while ordinary heat pain switches it off. UC San Diego scanned one hundred fourteen patients with chronic low back pain using arterial spin-labeling fMRI. A leg-raise test triggered a flare. That activated the Default Mode Network — the self network. A painful heat on the calf did the opposite: the same network quieted down, as in typical acute pain. People with worse chronic pain showed stronger links between the self network and the back's sensory cortex. Lead author Fadel Zeidan: you start to identify the experience with who you are. Published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia. Observational brain imaging — not a new treatment trial. Not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about chronic pain options. Follow the link to the main website for much deeper information.
Sources
- [1] ScienceDaily (29 Oct 2026). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261028232706.htm
- [2] UC San Diego Today. Why chronic low back pain feels personal. https://today.ucsd.edu/story/uc-san-diego-researchers-discover-why-chronic-low-back-pain-feels-personal
- [3] Gianola M, Zeidan F et al. Brain mechanisms supporting movement-evoked chronic low back pain. British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.bja.2026.08.010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2026.08.010
Credits
Images via Wikimedia Commons (illustrative unless stated): Low back pain.jpg (The original uploader was Harrygouvas at Greek Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0); Default mode network-WRNMMC.jpg (John Graner, Neuroimaging Department, National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889, USA., Public domain); Back stretch workout.jpg (Adewuyi Israel, CC BY-SA 4.0); Functional magnetic resonance imaging.jpg (Washington irving at English Wikipedia, Public domain); Chronic pain.png (Marcianò, G.; Vocca, C.; Evangelista, M.; Palleria, C.; Muraca, L.; Galati, C.; Monea, F.; Sportiello, L.; De Sarro, G.; Capuano, A., CC BY 4.0); Brain MRI 03.jpg (Nevit Dilmen (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0); Back view of a woman performing a stretching exercise for the spine.jpg (Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0). On-screen graphics: own.
AI voice note: the narration in the Short is an AI clone of my own voice (Chatterbox TTS by Resemble AI, MIT licence), used with my consent. I wrote the script and checked the figures against the sources above.
This page is general information, not medical or dental advice. Please talk to a doctor, dentist or pharmacist about your own health.