Plasticity changes in forebrain activity and functional connectivity during neuropathic pain development in rats with sciatic spared nerve injury 11 Medical and Health Sciences 1109 Neurosciences
Journal
Molecular Brain
Journal Volume
11
Journal Issue
1
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is a major worldwide health problem. Although central sensitization has been reported in well-established neuropathic conditions, information on the acute brain activation patterns in response to peripheral nerve injury is lacking. This study first mapped the brain activity in rats immediately following spared nerve injury (SNI) of the sciatic nerve. Using blood-oxygenation-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI), we observed sustained activation in the bilateral insular cortices (ICs), primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and cingulate cortex. Second, this study sought to link this sustained activation pattern with brain sensitization. Using manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI), we observed enhanced activity in the ipsilateral anterior IC (AIC) in free-moving SNI rats on Days 1 and 8 post-SNI. Furthermore, enhanced functional connectivity between the ipsilateral AIC, bilateral rostral AIC, and S1 was observed on Day 8 post-SNI. Chronic electrophysiological recording experiments were conducted to confirm the tonic neuronal activation in selected brain regions. Our data provide evidence of tonic activation-dependent brain sensitization during neuropathic pain development and offer evidence that the plasticity changes in the IC and S1 may contribute to neuropathic pain development. © 2018 The Author(s).
Subjects
Chronic pain; fMRI; Insular cortex; MEMRI; Neuropathic pain; Plasticity; Unit recording
SDGs
Other Subjects
animal experiment; animal model; anterior cingulate; Article; auditory cortex; BOLD signal; brain mapping; cingulate gyrus; controlled study; electroencephalogram; evoked cortical response; female; forebrain; functional connectivity; functional magnetic resonance imaging; hypothalamus; image analysis; image processing; insula; male; nerve cell plasticity; neuropathic pain; neuropathology; nonhuman; primary somatosensory cortex; priority journal; putamen; rat; sciatic nerve injury; thalamus dorsomedial nucleus; thalamus ventral nucleus; animal; animal behavior; blood; chemistry; complication; electrode implant; forebrain; hyperalgesia; injuries; nerve cell network; nerve cell plasticity; neuralgia; nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; pathophysiology; peripheral nerve injury; physiology; sciatic nerve; Sprague Dawley rat; manganese; oxygen; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Electrodes, Implanted; Female; Hyperalgesia; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Manganese; Nerve Net; Neuralgia; Neuronal Plasticity; Oxygen; Peripheral Nerve Injuries; Prosencephalon; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sciatic Nerve
Type
journal article