# High resolution interrogation of the insula in mechanisms of chronic pain

> **NIH NIH R21** · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · 2024 · $236,968

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Chronic pain is a major public health problem. An estimated 100 million Americans have experienced chronic
pain producing significant economic and social burden. Pharmacological treatments frequently require the use
of opioids resulting in a major epidemic of abuse in the United States. New, non-addicting treatments for pain
are critically needed. Neuromodulation with low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) may provide a non-
pharmacological treatment for chronic pain. The enormous potential of LIFU stems from the ability to focus
ultrasound through the intact skull to a millimeter-sized focal spot size anywhere in the brain. One promising
target to treat chronic pain is the insular cortex. Multiple lines of evidence support the involvement of the insula
in abnormal pain modulation or central sensitization and pain chronicity. Unfortunately, the insula lies deep to
the cortex and contains small discrete sub-regions making non-invasive access difficult. Preliminary data
demonstrates that LIFU can target individual sub-regions of the insula non-invasively to inhibit laser-evoked
potentials as well as reduce subjective report of pain in humans. It is the purpose of this proposal to investigate
the causal influence of LIFU to sub-regions of the insula on brain activity and behavior related to central
sensitization in healthy human volunteers and fibromyalgia patients. This is important as central sensitization is
a shared characteristic of many chronic pain conditions. It is the long-term goal of this project to advance LIFU
as a human pain management tool to enhance the health and reduce suffering in those with chronic pain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10792927
- **Project number:** 5R21AT012247-02
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Wynn Legon
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $236,968
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-02-22 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10792927

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10792927, High resolution interrogation of the insula in mechanisms of chronic pain (5R21AT012247-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10792927. Licensed CC0.

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