Mapping Cortical Integration of Sensory and Affective Pain Pathways
Mapping Cortical Integration of Sensory and Affective Pain Pathways
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.091
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发表时间：
2020-05-04
期刊：
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
Wang, Jing
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Singh, Amrita;Patel, Divya;Wang, Jing
疼痛是一种综合的感觉和情感体验。然而，感觉和情感整合的皮质机制仍然不明确。在此，我们研究了自由行为大鼠从编码感觉疼痛信息的初级体感觉皮层（S1）到处理疼痛影响的关键区域前扣带皮层（ACC）的投影。通过结合光遗传学、体内电生理学和机器学习分析，我们发现ACC神经元的一个子集接受S1输入，S1轴突终端的激活增加了ACC神经元对有害刺激的反应。慢性疼痛增强了这种皮质-皮质连接，表现为对S1输入作出反应的前扣带皮层神经元数量增加，这些神经元对前扣带皮层伤害性反应的贡献增加。此外，S1 -> ACC投射的调节调节了对疼痛的厌恶反应。因此，我们的研究结果定义了一个皮层回路，它在整合感觉和情感疼痛信号方面起着潜在的重要作用。
Pain is an integrated sensory and affective experience. Cortical mechanisms of sensory and affective integration, however, remain poorly defined. Here, we investigate the projection from the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), which encodes the sensory pain information, to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a key area for processing pain affect, in freely behaving rats. By using a combination of optogenetics, in vivo electro-physiology, and machine learning analysis, we find that a subset of neurons in the ACC receives S1 inputs, and activation of the S1 axon terminals increases the response to noxious stimuli in ACC neurons. Chronic pain enhances this cortico-cortical connection, as manifested by an increased number of ACC neurons that respond to S1 inputs and the magnified contribution of these neurons to the nociceptive response in the ACC. Furthermore, modulation of this S1 -> ACC projection regulates aversive responses to pain. Our results thus define a cortical circuit that plays a potentially important role in integrating sensory and affective pain signals.