Affective Sensory Pathways of Light Stroking and Deep Pressure Touch

项目摘要 候选人提出职业发展途径独立奖，以进一步推动她 在感觉和情感神经科学领域的心理物理和脑成像研究技能。候选人的 最终的职业目标是成为一个独立的，校外资助的科学家与情感方面的专业知识， 躯体感觉及其在补充健康模式中的作用。情感躯体感觉的神经科学非常 年轻，有很大的差距。虽然一个情感感觉传入类型的轻抚摸触摸是已知的（C低 阈值机械感受器; C-LTMR），我们还不明白为什么深压触摸是愉快的，我们理解， 关于阿片类药物在情感触觉感知中的作用的研究很少。情感躯体感觉是 多种互补和综合疗法，包括按摩疗法。本提案的目的是确定 轻抚摸和深压触摸的感觉情感通路，并决定了这些通路如何以及为什么 不同的慢性疼痛患者。该提案的每一个目标都得到了课程、研究培训 经验，科学会议和研讨会，以及详细的研究计划。 该提案的K99期旨在确定深压触摸的愉悦感是否依赖于 对肌肉组织中压力敏感的C-LTMR传入神经的影响，并确定阿片类药物在肌肉组织的愉悦性中发挥的作用。 在健康个体中，轻抚摸和深按压触摸。R 00期将决定为什么患有慢性 疼痛显示情感感觉处理减少和阿片样物质相互作用改变。本次K99/R 00研究的总体目标 建议是通过以下表现为候选人提供感觉情感神经科学方面的专业知识： 在经验丰富的科学家团队的指导下进行心理物理测试和大脑成像。候选人是 目前，她是国家补充和综合健康中心的博士后IRTA研究员， 由M博士指导。凯瑟琳Bushnell，在疼痛和情感体感的领先专家，与访问优秀的 用于进行神经阻滞、感觉测试和大脑成像的设施。K99/R 00调查结果 将通过识别轻微抚摸的情感通路来推进情感体感的神经科学， 深度压力触摸，使研究这些途径在健康和疾病以及各种疾病中的功能成为可能。 补充的健康方式，包括按摩。

Project Summary The candidate proposes a career development Pathway to Independence Award to further advance her psychophysical and brain imaging research skills in the area of sensory and affective neuroscience. The candidate's ultimate career goal is to become an independent, extramurally-funded scientist with expertise in affective somatosensation and its role in complementary health modalities. The neuroscience of affective somatosensation is very young and holds large gaps. While an affective-sensory afferent type for light stroking touch is known (the C low threshold mechanoreceptor; C-LTMR), we do not yet understand why deep pressure touch is pleasant, and we understand very little about the role of opioids in affective touch perception. Affective somatosensation is a critical component of numerous complementary and integrative therapies including massage therapy. The purpose of this proposal is to identify the sensory affective pathways of light stroking and deep pressure touch and determine how and why these pathways differ in individuals with chronic pain. Each aim of the proposal is supported by coursework, research training experiences, scientific meetings and seminars, and a detailed research plan. The K99 period of the proposal aims to determine whether the pleasantness of deep pressure touch is dependent on pressure-sensitive C-LTMR afferents in muscle tissue and to determine what role opioids play in the pleasantness of light stroking and deep pressure touch in healthy individuals. The R00 period will determine why individuals with chronic pain show reduced affective sensory processing and altered opioid interactions. The overall goal of this K99/R00 research proposal is to provide the candidate with expertise in sensory affective neuroscience through the performance of psychophysical testing and brain imaging under the guidance of an experienced team of scientists. The candidate is currently a postdoctoral IRTA fellow in the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health where she is mentored by Dr. M. Catherine Bushnell, a leading expert in pain and affective somatosensation, with access to excellent facilities for conducting nerve blocks, sensory testing, and brain imaging. The findings from the K99/R00 investigations will advance the neuroscience of affective somatosensation by identifying the affective pathways of light stroking and deep pressure touch, enabling research on the functions of these pathways in health and disease as well as in various complementary health modalities including massage.