Optogenetic fMRI investigation of the anterior cingulate cortex in pain processing

Abstract

Pain involves a multidimension network of brain circuits related to both somatosensation and cognitive-motivational dimension. Mouse fMRI allows for the in-vivo brain-wide functional mapping that can help explore the pain circuits at a systems level. We utilized transgenic mice in which we suppressed the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) with optogenetics to better understand its role in pain. Our behavior and fMRI results show that the ACC is involved in the cognitive-motivational dimension of pain, but not in the sensation of pain. In addition, we detected other brain regions as potential targets related to pain hypersensitivity with fMRI.