Neuroimaging Methods for Nursing Science.

Background: Since the inception of magnetic resonance imaging, thousands of studies have appeared in the literature reporting on multiple imaging techniques. However, there is a paucity of neuroimaging research programs developed by nurse scientists.

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to introduce the nurse scientist to complex neuroimaging methods with the ultimate goal of creating impetus for future use of brain imaging in nursing research.

Network Alterations in Comorbid Chronic Pain and Opioid Addiction: An Exploratory Approach.

The comorbidity of chronic pain and opioid addiction is a serious problem that has been growing with the practice of prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Neuroimaging research has shown that chronic pain and opioid dependence both affect brain structure and function, but this is the first study to evaluate the neurophysiological alterations in patients with comorbid chronic pain and addiction. Eighteen participants with chronic low back pain and opioid addiction were compared with eighteen age- and sex-matched healthy individuals in a pain-induction fMRI task.