2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Relationship between ascending projection of jaw-closing muscle-proprioception to the intralaminar thalamic nuclei and Tourette syndrome treatment mechanism

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	20K09888
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 57010:Oral biological science-related
Research Institution	Osaka University
Principal Investigator	Sato Fumihiko 大阪大学, 大学院歯学研究科, 講師 (60632130)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	古田貴寛大阪大学, 大学院歯学研究科, 教授 (60314184) 村上旬平大阪大学, 歯学部附属病院, 講師 (70362689)
Project Period (FY)	2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Keywords	筋紡錘感覚 / 視床髄板内核群 / 三叉神経上核 / トゥレット症候群 / OPC / 脳深部刺激療法
Outline of Final Research Achievements	An invasive intralaminar thalamic stimulation and a non-invasive application of oral splint are both effective intreating tic symptoms of patients with Tourette syndrome (TS). Therefore, these two treatments may exert some influence on the same brain region in TS patients. We thus hypothesized that the proprioceptive input arising from the muscle spindles of jaw-closing muscles (JCMSs), known to be increased by the application of oral splint, is transmitted to the intralaminar thalamic nuclei. We found that the supratrigeminal nucleus which received proprioceptive inputs from the JCMSs bilaterally projected to the oval paracentral nucleus (OPC) of the intralaminar thalamic nuclei, and the OPC received the JCMS proprioception. We also found that the OPC sent strong projections not only to the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices but also to the granular insular cortex which is involved in the emotion-related functions. This study may contribute to treatments of TS patients.
Free Research Field	神経解剖学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	本研究で、視床髄板内核群の中のOPCが、閉口筋筋紡錘感覚が入力する部位であり、情動に関与する部位であることが解明できた。この成果は、トゥレット症候群ばかりでなく、パーキンソン症候群などの疾患の病因の理解と、その治療のためにDBSを行う視床部位の決定に、極めて重要な情報となることが期待される。また、筋紡錘感覚などの固有感覚の高次脳内伝導路とその高次脳機能の解明を目指して、今後、世界中で行われる研究の遂行に極めて重要な情報になったと考えている。この成果をより社会貢献させために、我々は、小脳核とOPCとの神経連絡を明らかにして小脳の情動機能に関わる神経機構を解明する研究を開始している。