Brain Activation and Functional Connectivity During Performance of Lumbopelvic Motor Tasks in Individuals With and Without Low Back Pain: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Mounting evidence suggests that individuals with chronic low back pain exhibit changes in brain activity. However, changes in brain activity during the performance of salient motor tasks have not been fully described. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in cortical activation and functional connectivity between individuals with and without chronic low back pain while performing condition-specific motor tasks. Twenty-three individuals with chronic low back pain and 19 asymptomatic individuals participated in this study. Whole brain activity and functional connectivity were measured, whereas participants performed three lumbopelvic motor tasks: modified bilateral bridge, left unilateral bridge, and right unilateral bridge. Whole-brain analysis revealed no significant differences in brain activation between the groups when performing lumbopelvic motor tasks. An exploratory region of interest analysis demonstrated that individuals with chronic low back pain had significantly higher activation in the left insular-opercular cortex, left midcingulate gyrus, right insular-opercular cortex, right midcingulate gyrus, and right putamen. Functional connectivity analysis revealed significantly higher connectivity between the midcingulate gyrus, putamen, and insular-opercular cortex in those with chronic low back pain compared to asymptomatic participants. Taken together, this study helps build on the existing literature by providing unique insights into the changes that occur during the performance of salient motor tasks in individuals with chronic low back pain.