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Scaling Up Cortical Control Inhibits Pain
Jahrane Dale1, Haocheng Zhou2, Qiaosheng Zhang1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Cell Reports
|May 3, 2018
Summary
Chronic pain disrupts how the brain processes pain signals. Enhancing prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity can reduce pain by modulating neural responses, offering a new neuromodulation strategy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Acute pain triggers protective responses, while chronic pain impairs nociceptive processing.
- The prefrontal cortex (PFC) regulates sensory input, but its neuronal response to acute pain is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how individual PFC neurons respond to acute pain signals.
- To explore the impact of chronic pain on PFC neuronal activity.
- To identify potential neuromodulation strategies for pain inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Recorded neuronal firing rates in the prelimbic region of the PFC in free-moving rats.
- Utilized noxious stimulation to evoke pain responses.
- Employed optogenetic stimulation to modulate PFC activity.
Main Results:
- Noxious stimulation increased PFC neuronal firing rates in healthy rats.
- Chronic pain suppressed both basal and pain-evoked PFC neuronal firing.
- A linear correlation was found between basal and evoked firing rates, with decreased basal firing reducing pain response.
- Enhancing basal PFC activity via optogenetics inhibited pain.
Conclusions:
- The PFC exhibits a cortical gain control system for nociceptive regulation.
- Scaling up prefrontal cortex outputs is a viable neuromodulation strategy for pain inhibition.
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