Asa multisensory integration site, the BG have connections to the thalamus and multiple
cortical sites, forming cortico-BG-thalamic-cortical loops that may serve to modulate pain
related behavior and learning [41; 32; 19]. Abnormal function of these circuits may thus be
involved in the complex interactions between pain, emotion and behavior seen in IBS and
other, often overlapping pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, and interstitial
cystitis/painful bladder syndrome [49; 3].