fMRI, LFP, and anatomical evidence for hierarchical nociceptive routing pathway between somatosensory and insular cortices

作者：Hongyan Zhu, Tao Yan, Siqi Wang, Xutao Zhu, Kunzhang Lin, Ning Zheng, Li Min Chen, Fuqiang Xu, Ruiqi Wu · 发表于：NeuroImage · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120549 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Pain Mechanisms and Treatments、Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、Neural dynamics and brain function

• A hierarchically organized somatosensory-insular pathway of S1 / S2 → PIC → AIC responsible for routing nociceptive information. • Anterior and posterior subregions of insula are two distinct hubs in nociceptive processing. • FMRI can be a valuable tool for discerning directional neural circuits non-invasively. The directional organization of multiple nociceptive regions, particularly within obscure operculoinsular areas, underlying multidimensional pain processing remains elusive. This study aims to establish the fundamental organization between somatosensory and insular cortices in routing nociceptive information. By employing an integrated multimodal approach of high-field fMRI, intracranial electrophysiology, and transsynaptic viral tracing in rats, we observed a hierarchically organized connection of S1/S2 → posterior insula → anterior insula in routing nociceptive information. The directional nociceptive pathway determined by early fMRI responses was consistent with that examined by early evoked LFP, intrinsic effective connectivity, and anatomical projection, suggesting fMRI could provide a valuable facility to discern directional neural circuits in animals and humans non-invasively. Moreover, our knowledge of the nociceptive hierarchical organization of somatosensory and insular cortices and the interface role of the posterior insula may have implications for the development of targeted pain therapies.