VENTROCAUDAL THALAMUS IN HUMAN PAIN

描述(改编自《调查员摘要》)：该提案是 较早方案项目赠款中子项目的竞争性延续(P<0.01 NS32386)。这些研究的目的是继续审查 人类躯体感觉丘脑(VC)在疼痛中。长期目标是定义 丘脑活动在传递热感觉和疼痛信号中的作用 使用神经生理和心理物理相结合的感觉 技巧。慢性疼痛患者在VC中进行单单位记录 以及患有运动障碍的患者。后一组中的录音是 被认为是生成控制数据。目标1检查脉冲的特性 在VC中训练痛苦和非痛苦的机械和热刺激，在 运动障碍患者。他们还计划测试尖峰列车是否 属性随刺激强度的变化而变化，并作为 请注意。目标2检查由电刺激引起的感觉 运动障碍患者的Vc内。他们将把这种感觉作为一种 刺激的时间特性在努力区分 感觉异常、温暖、凉爽和痛苦的感觉，并确定关系 时间模式和强度感知之间的关系，以及与 刺激模式对神经元放电特征的影响 等同的感觉。目标3研究的问题与目标1和目标2中的问题相同 慢性疼痛患者Vc分化编码特性的变化 在两组受试者之间。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Investigator's Abstract): The proposal is a competing continuation of a subproject in an earlier program project grant (P01 NS32386). The studies aim at continuing the examination of the role of the human somatosensory thalamus (Vc) in pain. The long-term objective is to define the role of thalamic activity in signaling thermal sensations and pain sensations using a combination of neurophysiological and psychophysical techniques. Single unit recordings in Vc are performed in chronic pain patients and patients with movement disorders. Recordings in the latter group are considered as generating control data. Aim 1 examines the properties of spike trains in Vc to painful and nonpainful mechanical and thermal stimuli, in movement disorder patients. They also plan on testing whether the spike train properties change with changes in stimulus intensity and as a function of attention. Aim 2 examines the sensations evoked by electrical stimulation within Vc in movement disorder patients. They will examine the sensations as a function of temporal properties of stimuli in an effort to distinguish between paresthesias, warm, cool, & pain perceptions, and to determine the relationship between temporal patterns and intensity perception, as well as relate the stimulus pattern to the characteristics of the neuronal discharge with the equivalent sensation. Aim 3 examines the same questions as in aims 1 & 2 in the Vc of chronic pain patients to differentiate changes in coding properties between the two groups of subjects.