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Mechanical Conflict-Avoidance Assay to Measure Pain Behavior in Mice

Mechanical Conflict-Avoidance Assay to Measure Pain Behavior in Mice

Published on: February 18, 2022

Cortico-limbic pain mechanisms.

Jeremy M Thompson¹, Volker Neugebauer²

¹Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX, United States.

Neuroscience Letters

|December 4, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Chronic pain involves emotional distress and cognitive issues. Research suggests brain circuitry changes in areas like the prefrontal cortex and amygdala contribute to persistent pain conditions.

Keywords:

Affective Amygdala Cognitive Hippocampus Neuroplasticity Nucleus accumbens Pain modulation Prefrontal cortex Vulnerability

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Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

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Published on: January 14, 2009

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Pain Research
Psychology

Background:

Chronic pain is characterized by emotional and cognitive disturbances.
The precise neural mechanisms underlying chronic pain remain incompletely understood.
Interactions between prefrontal cortex and limbic structures are increasingly implicated.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the role of corticolimbic circuitry in the persistence of chronic pain.
To investigate neuroplastic changes in specific brain regions associated with pain.
To connect preclinical findings with human neuroimaging data on pain.

Main Methods:

Preclinical studies in rodent models were utilized.
Neuroplasticity in prefrontal cortical areas (anterior cingulate, prelimbic, infralimbic) was examined.
Changes in subcortical limbic structures (amygdala, nucleus accumbens) and their circuitry were analyzed.

Main Results:

Evidence suggests neuroplastic alterations in key prefrontal and subcortical brain regions.
The interactions within the corticolimbic circuitry appear crucial for pain complexity and persistence.
These findings align with recent human neuroimaging studies suggesting similar mechanisms.

Conclusions:

Neuroplastic changes in the corticolimbic circuit are vital for chronic pain.
These brain alterations may predispose individuals to persistent pain conditions.
Understanding these mechanisms is key to developing future pain therapies.