Characterization of cortical source generators based on electroencephalography during tonic pain

The aim of the present study was to characterize the cortical source generators evoked by experimental tonic pain. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded on two separate days during rest and with immersion of the hand in ice water for 2 minutes (cold pressor test). Exact low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography source localization was performed in 31 healthy volunteers to characterize the cortical source generators. Reliability was high in all eight frequency bands during rest and cold pressor conditions (intraclass coefficients =0.47-0.83 in the cingulate and insula). Tonic pain increased cortical activities in the delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), beta1 (12-18 Hz), beta2 (18-24 Hz), beta3 (24-32 Hz), and gamma (32-60 Hz) bands (all