Optical Imaging of Mechanical Nociception in SI Cortex

描述(申请人提供)：本提案旨在研究机械伤害性感觉在初级躯体感觉皮质(SI)的皮质表征。大脑皮质被认为在处理伤害性信息的感觉辨别方面起作用。然而，3a、3b和1的每一个区域是如何参与伤害性感受的尚不清楚。我们假设机械性疼痛和压力在SI的特定区域有不同的表现。我们将使用本征光学成像和电生理方法相结合的方法，在麻醉猴身上研究：1)哪些皮质区域参与处理伤害性信息的感觉方面，痛觉和触觉的感觉方面是在相同还是不同的皮质区，以及在哪个区域，激活的幅度与伤害性刺激的强度相关；2)伤害性感觉是否以地形图表示，以及皮层伤害性反应如何与3a区、3b区和1区的触觉地形图相关。本研究将为伤害性信息的感觉方面在SI的每个区域如何编码提供洞察力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal aims to study the cortical representation of mechanical nociception in primary somatosensory cortex (SI). SI cortex has been proposed to play a role in processing sensory-discriminative aspect of nociceptive information. However, how each of the Areas of 3a, 3b and 1 are involved in nociception is not known. We have hypothesized that mechanical pain and pressure are differently represented in specific areas of SI. Using combined intrinsic optical imaging with electrophysiological methods, we will examine in anesthetized monkey 1) what cortical areas are involved in processing the sensory aspect of nociception, whether the sensory aspects of pain and touch are represented in the same or different cortical areas, and in which area, the amplitude of activation correlates with the intensity of nociceptive stimuli, and 2) whether nociception is topographically represented, and how cortical nociceptive responses relate to the topography of touch in each of Areas 3a, 3b and 1. This study will provide insights into how sensory aspects of nociceptive information are encoded in each area of SI.