Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Segrate (Milan), Italy.
Sci Rep. 2016 Oct 13;6:34763. doi: 10.1038/srep34763.
Chronic pain (CP) is a condition with a large repertory of clinical signs and symptoms with diverse expressions. Though widely analyzed, an appraisal at the level of single neuron and neuronal networks in CP is however missing. The present research proposes an empirical and theoretic framework which identifies a complex network correlate nested in the somatosensory thalamocortical (TC) circuit in diverse CP models. In vivo simultaneous extracellular neuronal electrophysiological high-density recordings have been performed from the TC circuit in rats. Wide functional network statistics neatly discriminated CP from control animals identifying collective dynamical traits. In particular, a collapsed functional connectivity and an altered modular architecture of the thalamocortical circuit have been evidenced. These results envisage CP as a functional connectivity disorder and give the clue for unveiling innovative therapeutic strategies.
慢性疼痛（CP）是一种具有多种临床表现的病症。尽管已经进行了广泛的分析，但 CP 中单神经元和神经元网络的评估仍有所缺失。本研究提出了一个经验和理论框架，该框架确定了在不同 CP 模型中嵌套在躯体感觉丘脑皮质（TC）回路中的复杂网络相关性。在大鼠的 TC 回路中进行了同时的体外神经元电生理学高密度记录。广泛的功能网络统计数据可以清晰地区分 CP 和对照动物，确定了集体动力学特征。特别是，已经证明了 TC 电路的功能连接性崩溃和模块结构的改变。这些结果将 CP 视为一种功能连接障碍，并为揭示创新的治疗策略提供了线索。
