Processing of pain and itch information by modality-specific neurons within the anterior cingulate cortex in mice

Pain and itch are aversive sensations with distinct qualities, processed in overlapping pathways and brain regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is critical for their affective dimensions. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying their processing in the ACC remain unclear. Here, we identify modality-specific neuronal populations in layer II/III of the ACC in mice involved in pain and itch processing. Using a synapse labeling tool, we show that pain- and itch-related neurons selectively receive synaptic inputs from mediodorsal thalamic neurons activated by pain and itch stimuli, respectively. Chemogenetic inhibition of these neurons reduced pruriception or nociception without affecting the opposite modality. Conversely, activation of these neurons did not enhance stimulus-specific responses but commonly increased freezing-like behavior. These findings reveal that the processing of itch and pain information in the ACC involves activity-dependent and modality-specific neuronal populations, and that pain and itch are processed by functionally distinct ACC neuronal subsets.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-03-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57041-z
Citations
10
Primary Topic
Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
11.64

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article

Processing of pain and itch information by modality-specific neurons within the anterior cingulate cortex in mice

Chiwoo Lee, Jihae Oh, Hyoung‐Gon Ko, Hyunsu Jung et al.
10 citations
Nature Communications
Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
11.64
article

Processing of pain and itch information by modality-specific neurons within the anterior cingulate cortex in mice

Chiwoo Lee, Jihae Oh, Hyoung‐Gon Ko, Hyunsu Jung, Dae Hee Han, Dong Il Choi, Min Zhuo, Chuljung Kwak, Bong‐Kiun Kaang, Ja Eun Choi, Sanghyun Ye, Jiah Lee, Jaehyun Lee, Kyungmin Lee, Jae‐Hyung Lee, Seunghyo Han, Jun-Nyeong Kim
article en
10 citations

Abstract

Pain and itch are aversive sensations with distinct qualities, processed in overlapping pathways and brain regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is critical for their affective dimensions. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying their processing in the ACC remain unclear. Here, we identify modality-specific neuronal populations in layer II/III of the ACC in mice involved in pain and itch processing. Using a synapse labeling tool, we show that pain- and itch-related neurons selectively receive synaptic inputs from mediodorsal thalamic neurons activated by pain and itch stimuli, respectively. Chemogenetic inhibition of these neurons reduced pruriception or nociception without affecting the opposite modality. Conversely, activation of these neurons did not enhance stimulus-specific responses but commonly increased freezing-like behavior. These findings reveal that the processing of itch and pain information in the ACC involves activity-dependent and modality-specific neuronal populations, and that pain and itch are processed by functionally distinct ACC neuronal subsets.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Seoul National University (KR), Kyung Hee Cyber University (KR), University of Toronto (CA), Canada Research Chairs (CA), Kyungpook National University (KR), Kyung Hee University (KR), Institute for Basic Science (KR), National University College (PR)
Korea Basic Science Institute, National Research Foundation of Korea, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
11.64
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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