Thalamic processing of pain and putative control by cortical feedback (G01)

• Subject Area: Epidemiology and Medical Biometry/Statistics
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 255156212

The relationship between thalamic sensory processing, cortical feedback and pain perception is not clear, in particular between pathophysiological changes in thalamic activity patterns and the chronicity of pain. We will address thalamic pain processing and its dependency to cortical feedback circuits using electrophysiology, cell-type specific modulation of neuronal activity, and behavioural assays in awake, behaving mice. Understanding pathophysiological changes in thalamic function and regulation that are associated with the development of chronic pain will help us to establish a causal relationship between thalamic operational states and pain perception and will be important for the identification of potential targets for pain treatment.

• 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
• Co-Applicant Institution: Technische Universität München (TUM)
• Project Head: Professor Alexander Groh, Ph.D.