Multiple Posterior Insula Projections to the Brainstem Descending Pain Modulatory System.

ABSTRACT: The insular cortex is an important hub for sensory and emotional integration. It is one of the areas consistently found activated during pain. While the insular's connections to the limbic system might play a role in the aversive and emotional component of pain, its connections to the descending pain system might be involved in pain intensity coding. Here, we used anterograde tracing with viral expression of mCherry fluorescent protein, to examine the connectivity of insular axons to different brainstem nuclei involved in the descending modulation of pain in detail. We found extensive connections to the main areas of descending pain control, namely, the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and the raphe magnus (RMg). In addition, we also identified an extensive insular connection to the parabrachial

SUBMITTER: Liang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11395413 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature