Lenz F A, Seike M, Lin Y C, Baker F H, Rowland L H, Gracely R H, Richardson R T
Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287-7713.
Brain Res. 1993 Oct 1;623(2):235-40. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(93)91433-s.
A population of neurons in the area of human thalamic nucleus ventralis caudalis (Vc) respond to noxious heat stimuli. In the cutaneous core of Vc 6% (6/108) of recorded neurons had a significantly greater response to noxious heat stimuli than to innocuous control stimuli. Half of these neurons (n = 3) also responded to innocuous cold stimuli. Within the region posterior and inferior to the cutaneous core of Vc 5% (4/77) of neurons responded exclusively to noxious heat stimuli. Cells responding to noxious heat were recorded at a greater proportion (66%) of sites where painful sensations were evoked by microstimulation than at sites where nonpainful sensations were evoked (1.5%). The results suggest that neurons in the region of human Vc mediate the sensory aspect of pain.
人类丘脑尾侧腹核（Vc）区域的一群神经元对有害热刺激有反应。在Vc的皮肤核心区域，6%（6/108）的记录神经元对有害热刺激的反应明显大于对无害对照刺激的反应。这些神经元中有一半（n = 3）也对无害冷刺激有反应。在Vc皮肤核心区域后方和下方的区域内，5%（4/77）的神经元仅对有害热刺激有反应。在微刺激诱发疼痛感觉的部位，记录到对有害热有反应的细胞比例更高（66%），而在诱发非疼痛感觉的部位这一比例为1.5%。结果表明，人类Vc区域的神经元介导了疼痛的感觉方面。
