PAIN RELATED INHIBITION OF INNOCUOUS SOMATOSENSATION

最近的研究表明大脑疼痛通路的活动 对无害的感知产生抑制性影响 躯体感觉刺激 在我们的工作中， 表现为躯体感觉诱发电位的抑制 (SEP)其振幅与 无害的躯体感觉 这一现象具有重要意义。 对我们理解疼痛是如何编码的暗示， 皮质水平，并建立定量和临床 实用的方法来衡量的功能和完整性 脊髓上疼痛通路 在这些理论和临床 可以实现的好处，但是，将有必要 证明了疼痛的活动与 途径和抑制神经元参与无害 samatosensation。 为了实现这一目标，我们希望证明：1） SEP的无害成分和疼痛相关成分 叠加在其上的抑制产生于皮层区域， 在无害的躯体感觉中起重要作用（即，的 初级躯体感觉皮层）。 2)抑制无害的- 相关的躯体感觉活动，如SEP和 主观幅度评级，是特定于激活的疼痛 途径。 3)震级与地震的强度 疼痛通路的活动和SEP的幅度 抑制作用

Recent work indicates that activity in the pain pathways of the brain exert an inhibitory influence on the perception of innocuous somatosensory stimuli. In our work this phenomenon was manifested as the inhibition of a somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) component whose amplitude is closely associated with innocuous somatosensation. This phenomenon has important implications for our understanding of how pain is coded at the cortical level and for establishing a quantitative and clinically practical method of measuring the function and integrity of the supraspinal pain pathways. Before these theoretical and clinical benefits can be realized, however, it will be necessary to demonstrate a close relationship between activity in the pain pathways and the inhibition of neurons involved in innocuous samatosensation. Toward this goal, we hope to demonstrate that: 1) The innocuous-related SEP component and the pain-related inhibition superimposed on it are generated in a cortical area that plays an important role in innocuous somatosensation (i.e., the primary somatosensory cortex). 2) The inhibition of innocuous- related somatosensory activity, as reflected in the SEP and subjective magnitude ratings, is specific to activation of the pain pathways. 3) There is a close relationship between the magnitude of activity in the pain pathways and the magnitude of SEP inhibition.