Article
Clinical Neurology
Eleonora Marcati, Erika Ferrari, Enrica Fava, Giuseppe Talamonti, Giuseppe A. D'Aliberti
Summary: The insular cortex is a complex region of the brain, playing a crucial role in sensory and gustatory functions. Through a case study, we have gained further insights into the clinical correlations of the insular cortex in sensory and gustatory functions.
ACTA NEUROCHIRURGICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Yuka Nakaya, Koichi Iwata, Masayuki Kobayashi
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the insular cortex (IC) on neuronal spike firings in response to noxious and innoxious stimuli to the face. It was found that the descending projections from the IC can increase the response of Sp5C neurons to noxious mechanical stimuli. These results suggest that the IC plays a role in facilitating nociception by enhancing the activity of Sp5C neurons.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jung-Hyun Alex Lee, Qiyu Chen, Min Zhuo
Summary: This review summarizes recent progress in synaptic mechanisms of different forms of cortical long-term potentiation (LTP) and their potential contribution to behavioral pain and emotional changes.
Article
Neurosciences
Kyeongmin Kim, Guanghai Nan, Leejeong Kim, Minjee Kwon, Kyung Hee Lee, Myeounghoon Cha, Bae Hwan Lee
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of insular cortex stimulation (ICS) on neuropathic pain and determine how ICS modulates pain. The results showed that the most effective pain relief was achieved with ICS at 50 Hz-120 μA in a single trial, and its effects lasted for 4 days after repetitive ICS termination. The expression levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), astrocytes, and microglia were increased in neuropathic rats, but they were decreased after ICS, particularly in layers 2-3 of the insular cortex where pERK and neurons colocalize.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Yuka Nakaya, Kiyofumi Yamamoto, Masayuki Kobayashi
Summary: Nociceptive information from the orofacial area is processed in the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Sp5C) and transmitted to the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) among other areas. The insular cortex (IC) receives this information and sends projections that play a critical role in Sp5C activities. Glutamatergic inputs from the IC regulate excitatory currents in Sp5C, while inhibitory currents in Sp5C are influenced by GABAergic/glycinergic interneurons.
Article
Neurosciences
Jaisan Islam, K. C. Elina, Soochong Kim, Moon Young Chung, Ki Seok Park, Hyong Kyu Kim, Young Seok Park
Summary: This study examined the effects of DPICg inhibition in a rat model of trigeminal neuropathic pain and found that it could decrease neural firing rate, improve pain symptoms and anxiety-like responses in TNP animals. These findings suggest that DPICg plays a necessary role in descending pain processing and has therapeutic potential in TNP.
NEUROMOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Franziska S. Mueschenich, Thorsten Sichtermann, Maria Elisa Di Francesco, Rea Rodriguez-Raecke, Lennart Heim, Marco Singer, Martin Wiesmann, Jessica Freiherr
Summary: The study found that eucalyptol can mask the olfactory but not trigeminal sensation of ammonia. Participants rated the pleasantness of a mixture differently depending on which component dominated their perception. Functional imaging data showed individual differences in neural activation patterns related to the perception of the mixture. Personal perception differences may affect activation patterns in the brain regions associated with sensory processing.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ning Wang, Yu-Han Zhang, Jin-Yan Wang, Fei Luo
Summary: Neuropathic pain is challenging to treat and often involves emotional and psychological changes. The insular cortex is implicated in the processing of neuropathic pain, with studies indicating a potential role in emotional motivation, neural plasticity, cognitive evaluation, and psychosocial aspects. Further understanding of the involvement of the insular cortex could lead to new pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatments for neuropathic pain.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Duncan J. Hodkinson, Andreas Bungert, Richard Bowtell, Stephen R. Jackson, JeYoung Jung
Summary: This study utilized DCM and BMS to examine the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on the connectivity between M1 and medial and lateral pain systems, with a preference for a fully connected model where all cortical areas directly receive input from M1, facilitating connections INS -> M1, PO -> M1, and ACC -> M1, with increased inhibition of reciprocal connections.
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tzu-Hao Harry Chao, Byeongwook Lee, Li -Ming Hsu, Domenic Hayden Cerri, Wei -Ting Zhang, Tzu-Wen Winnie Wang, Srikanth Ryali, Vinod Menon, Yen-Yu Ian Shih
Summary: This study combines fiber photometry with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computational modeling to investigate the neurophysiological properties and interactions of the rat default mode network (DMN) and the anterior insular cortex (AI) of the salience network. The findings reveal the neuronal activity changes preceding fMRI-derived DMN activations and cyclical transitions between brain network states. Additionally, salient stimuli are found to suppress the DMN and enhance AI neuronal activity, with the AI causally inhibiting a prominent DMN node.
Article
Neurosciences
Songyeon Choi, Kyeongmin Kim, Minjee Kwon, Sun Joon Bai, Myeounghoon Cha, Bae Hwan Lee
Summary: Inhibition of neuroglia activity in the insular cortex can alleviate chronic pain, and purinergic receptors in glial cells are closely related to chronic pain development.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Behzad Iravani, Moa G. Peter, Artin Arshamian, Mats J. Olsson, Thomas Hummel, Hagen H. Kitzler, Johan N. Lundstrom
Summary: The study found that recently acquired sensory loss is associated with changes in cerebral morphology within core olfactory areas and an increase in dynamic functional connectivity from olfactory cortex to cerebral areas processing multisensory integration.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Anesthesiology
Kazuaki Nagasaka, Ichiro Takashima, Keiji Matsuda, Noriyuki Higo
Summary: In this study, using a macaque model, the researchers found that inactivating the posterior insular cortex (PIC) and secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) can reduce hypersensitivity to thermal stimuli, indicating the potential therapeutic approach for thermal hyperalgesia in central post-stroke pain (CPSP).
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Nunzia Papotto, Sara Reithofer, Kaya Baumert, Richard Carr, Frank Mohrlen, Stephan Frings
Summary: This study showed that olfactory co-stimulation can alleviate aversive responses to noxious stimuli in mice and reduce neural activity in the SpVc, indicating a significant analgesic potential of odor stimulation in the trigeminal system.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Richard B. Lipton, Agustin Melo-Carrillo, Mark Severs, Michael Reed, Sait Ashina, Timothy Houle, Rami Burstein
Summary: This real-world study suggests that treatment with narrow band green light during migraine attacks can relieve pain and photophobia, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Teemu Miettinen, Pekka Mantyselkae, Nora Hagelberg, Seppo Mustola, Eija Kalso, Jorn Loetsch
Summary: This study utilized machine learning to analyze patients with chronic pain, identifying three patient phenotype clusters and determining affective pain interference and the number of pain areas as the most relevant factors for cluster assignment. Furthermore, sleep problems were highlighted as key factors in the most difficult pain presentations, indicating a need for prioritizing in chronic pain treatment.
Article
Anesthesiology
Joern Loetsch, Sebastian Malkusch
Summary: This study proposes an approach using machine learning to provide a transparent decision process by transforming the interpretation problem into a classification problem, estimating the importance of each pain measure using sub-symbolic algorithms, selecting relevant variables, and providing understandable rules of cluster assignment through explainable artificial intelligence.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Sebastian Malkusch, Johanna Rahm, Marina S. Dietz, Mike Heilemann, Jean-Baptiste Sibarita, Jorn Lotsch
Summary: This study proposes a method that analyzes the differences in receptor mobility between internalin B-treated and -untreated cells. By using hidden Markov modeling and explainable artificial intelligence, the key differences in MET under different treatment conditions are learned from single-particle tracking data, allowing for inference of cellular information.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Teemu Miettinen, Anni I. Nieminen, Pekka Mantyselka, Eija Kalso, Jorn Lotsch
Summary: Recent scientific evidence suggests that metabolomic changes are associated with chronic pain phenotypes. However, problems such as sleep disorders or obesity may complicate the metabolome pattern. In this study, common metabolomics markers at the interface of persistent pain, sleep, and obesity were identified. Two independent lines of data analysis were used to investigate the complex phenotype. The findings suggest that metabolomic changes associated with co-occurring problems may play a role in the development of severe pain.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Alfred Ultsch, Joern Loetsch
Summary: In bioinformatics data processing, data transformations are commonly used for data projection and clustering. However, the commonly used Euclidean distance metric is not scale invariant and may be inappropriate for complex variables, leading to negative impacts on cluster analysis results. This study proposes the EDO transformation as a better alternative to traditional z-standardization, and demonstrates its effectiveness through simulations and real data applications.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Joern Loetsch, Anne Huster, Thomas Hummel
Summary: This study expanded the clinical diagnostic repertoire of olfaction by including additional tests, revealing the importance of odor dilution sorting tasks in cluster assignment. These findings provide a new direction for future olfaction research.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Brandon Gunasekera, Cathy Davies, Grace Blest-Hopley, Mattia Veronese, Nick F. Ramsey, Matthijs G. Bossong, Joaquim Radua, Sagnik Bhattacharyya
Summary: This study investigated the acute spatial effect of THC on regional brain activation or blood flow in human subjects. The researchers also explored the relationship between the neuromodulatory effects of THC and the expression of CB1R and CB2R receptors. The findings suggest that THC has neuromodulatory effects in brain regions involved in cognitive tasks and processes, with stronger effects observed in regions with higher levels of CB1R expression.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yazan Noufal, Dario Kringel, Stefan W. Toennes, Rafael Dudziak, Jorn Loetsch
Summary: Prescription of morphine for analgesia has been associated with drug-related deaths at an incidence rate of 0.3% to 4%. The pharmacological properties of morphine make it challenging to determine the causality between morphine administration and patient death, including its slow transfer in the body and the presence of an active metabolite with opioid effects. There is also no defined toxic dose or concentration of morphine. This article summarizes reported deaths related to morphine therapy and analyzes the stability of morphine and its metabolites in postmortem biological samples. It emphasizes the limited validity of inferring the administered dose from postmortem blood concentrations and highlights the need for collaborative assessment among medical experts.
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Anesthesiology
Jörn Loetsch, Alfred Ultsch
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jörn Loetsch, Alfred Ultsch
Summary: This report proposes a precise method to address the skewed distribution of feature importance, reducing the feature set to the informative minimum. The recursive cABC analysis limits the data projection dimensions while preserving relevant information and guiding feature selection to the most important class-relevant information in machine learning.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joern Loetsch, Benjamin Mayer, Dario Kringel
Summary: Sex differences in pain perception have been studied extensively, but sex-specific pain pharmacology has not progressed much in precision medicine applications. This study analyzed pain threshold data from male and female volunteers and found that the algorithm could accurately predict a person's sex based on mechanical stimuli, but not thermal stimuli or sensitization responses. This suggests that precision medicine approaches to pain should focus on molecular targets that convert mechanical information into pain signals.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joern Loetsch, Thomas Hummel, Alfred Ultsch
Summary: This report discusses the random walk component in a clinical olfactory test and explores its characteristics through computer simulations. The results indicate that the starting point and length of the random walk significantly affect the probability of achieving high test scores.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alfred Ultsch, Joern Loetsch
Summary: Bayesian inference is widely used in science, but its calculation is not robust in regions of low evidence. Researchers propose a robust extension approach that improves class assignment accuracy for extreme values and weak evidence data.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Jorn Loetsch, Alfred Ultsch, Benjamin Mayer, Dario Kringel
Summary: The collection of increasing amounts of data in health care has become relevant for pain therapy and research. This report summarizes the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning methods in pain research and highlights their advantages and limitations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joern Loetsch, Laura Mustonen, Hanna Harno, Eija Kalso
Summary: This study identified specific proteins related to persistent postsurgical neuropathic pain (PPSNP) in women who had experienced intercostobrachial nerve injury during breast cancer surgery. These proteins play important roles in immune processes such as cell migration, chemotaxis, and cytokine-signaling. The findings provide insights into the neuroinflammatory processes associated with the development of neuropathic pain after intraoperative nerve lesion.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)