1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Effect of attentional shift on cortical nociceptive neuronal activity in monkeys
| Project/Area Number |
09671907
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Functional basic dentistry
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| Research Institution | Nihon University |
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Principal Investigator |
SUMINO Rhyuji Nihon University School of Dentistry Professor, 歯学部, 教授 (40014378)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TSUBOI Yoshiyuki Nihon University School of Dentistry Lecturer, 歯学部, 講師 (50246906)
IWATA Koichi Osaka University Faculty of Dentistry Associate Professor, 歯学部, 助教授 (60160115)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1998
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| Keywords | primary somatosensory cortex / cingulate gyrus / detection task / monkey / 大脳皮質第一次体性感覚野 / 注意 / 前帯状回 |
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| Research Abstract |
Functional role of the primary somatosensory cortex and anterior cingulate cortex for processing nociception was studied in awake behaving monkeys. About a half of nociceptive neurons recorded from the primary somatosensory cortex increased their firing frequency following decrease in detection latency according to the change in tooth pulp stimulus intensity, suggesting that these neurons would be involved n sensory discriminative aspect of tooth pulp sensation. However, others were not change in their firing ccording to their detection latency. Thus, the function of these neurons for tooth pulp sensation was unclear. Furthermore, cooling of the primary somatosensory cortex induced an increment of detection latency to heat stimulation and increment of escape behavior. Thesesuggest that primary somatosensory cortex would be involved in modulation of nociception at the level of the medulla or more lower levels as well as nociception. However, the central mechanism of pain modulation produced by cortical cooling was completely unknown. On the other hand, the studies for the functional role of an anterior cingulate gyrus on nociception have been done by some researchers and a little is known. Our data revealed that some nociceptive neurons in the anterior cingulate gyrus decreased their firing frequency after change in their attention from heat to nonnoxious stimulus (light). This exactly suggest that nociceptive neurons in the anterior cingulate gyrus is modulated their activity by attentional shift.
The purpose of the present study was clarifying the mechanism of how the nociceptive information was modified to a pain sensation. Many things are still remained unknown. Human PET study may be helpful to solve this question as well as an awake behaving monkey study.
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