VENTROCAUDAL THALAMUS IN HUMAN PAIN

描述（改编自研究者摘要）：该提案是一项 在早期计划项目补助金中竞争继续子项目（P01 NS32386）。这些研究的目的是继续审查 人感觉丘脑（Vc）疼痛。长期目标是确定 丘脑活动在传递热感觉和疼痛信号中的作用 结合使用神经生理学和心理物理学 技术.在慢性疼痛患者中进行Vc中的单个单位记录 和有运动障碍的患者。后一组的记录是 被视为生成控制数据。目标1考察了spike的性质 在VC中训练疼痛和无痛的机械和热刺激， 运动障碍患者。他们还计划测试穗列车是否 性质随着刺激强度的变化而变化， 关注目的2检查电刺激引起的感觉 运动障碍患者的Vc。他们将检查的感觉作为一个 刺激的时间属性的功能，以区分 感觉异常，温暖，凉爽和疼痛的感觉，并确定关系 时间模式和强度感知之间的关系，以及 刺激模式的神经元放电的特点与 等同的感觉。目标3审查的问题与目标1和目标2相同， 慢性疼痛患者Vc鉴别编码特性的变化 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.