Optical Imaging of Mechanical Nociception in SI Cortex

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案旨在研究机械伤害感觉在初级体感皮层（SI）的皮层表征。脑内皮层被认为在处理伤害性信息的感觉辨别方面发挥作用。然而，3a， 3b和1区域是如何参与伤害感觉的还不清楚。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。我们将利用本质光学成像与电生理相结合的方法，对麻醉猴子进行研究：1)哪些皮质区域参与处理伤害感受的感觉方面，疼痛和触觉的感觉方面是否在相同或不同的皮质区域表现，以及在哪个皮质区域，激活的幅度与伤害刺激的强度相关；以及大脑皮层伤害感受反应与3a、3b和1区触觉地形的关系。这项研究将提供关于伤害性信息的感觉方面如何在SI的每个区域编码的见解。

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.