Prefrontal regulation of neuronal pain systems during expectation-induced changes in perceived pain

越来越多的损伤和神经影像学研究强调了背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）在产生有计划的、有组织的和良好调节的行为中所起的关键作用。 然而，它对大脑中疼痛的组织和表征的贡献仍然难以捉摸。 我们认为，从多个学科的证据的基础上，DLPFC活动发生分层上游经典的疼痛处理区域的大脑，它有助于调节大脑疼痛电路的内在和/或外在（环境）的要求。 因此，DLPFC应该在塑造预期引起的疼痛体验变化方面发挥关键作用。 本研究计划旨在探讨DLPFC对疼痛预期编码和随后重新加载的作用。 它还将试图通过研究其对疼痛诱发的皮层活动和功能连接的影响来确定DLPFC如何调节下游疼痛神经回路。 将使用不同的方法学手段，包括脑成像和脑电图，以及重复经颅磁刺激破坏DLPFC功能。 更好地了解DLPFC对疼痛的行为和大脑调制将提供关键的见解，了解大脑如何将缓解的期望转化为实际的镇痛体验，以及不同的大脑区域如何共同工作以形成功能连贯的网络。

A growing number of lesion and neuroimaging studies highlight the critical role played by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in producing planned, organized, and well-regulated behaviour. However, its contribution to the organization and representation of pain in the brain remains elusive. We argue, based on evidence from multiple disciplines, that DLPFC activity occurs hierarchically upstream from classical pain processing regions of the brain and that it serves to regulate cerebral pain circuits based on intrinsic and/or extrinsic (environmental) demands. The DLPFC, therefore, should play a key role in shaping expectation-induced changes in pain experiences. This research program proposes to investigate the role of the DLPFC on the encoding and subsequent reloading of pain expectations. It will also seek to identify how the DLPFC regulates downstream pain neurocircuitry by studying its influence on pain-evoked cortical activity and functional connectivity. Different methodological means will be used, including brain imaging with electroencephalography and disruption of DLPFC function with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. A better understanding of the behavioral and cerebral modulation of pain by the DLPFC will provide key insights into how the brain transforms expectations of relief into actual experiences of analgesia and how separate brain regions work together to form functionally-coherent networks.