Cellular mechanisms of nociception and nociceptive modulation in lateral and medial thalamocortical circuits in mice (B10)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 255156212

Reciprocal connections between the thalamus and the cortex plan an important role in regulating the flow of incoming nociceptive activity as well as top-down modulation of pain processing. B10 will build on findings from the first funding period of suppression of the ventroposterolateral thalamus by layer 6 of the sensory cortex to now address cellular mechanisms via in vivo electrophysiology in mice. This will enable deep insights into laminar signal propagation of pain-related signals through cortico-thalamo-cortical circuits and enable harnessing them to optimize specific brain stimulation paradigms in the future therapy of chronic pain.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1158: From nociception to chronic pain: Structure-function properties of neural pathways and their reorganisation
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Professor Alexander Groh, Ph.D.; Rebecca Mease, Ph.D., since 7/2019