Cross-species Convergence of Functional Connectivity Changes in Thalamic Pain across Human Patients and Model Macaques

Abstract

Thalamic pain can be understood as a network reorganization disorder. This study aimed to investigate functional connectivity (FC) in human patients and a macaque model of thalamic pain. In humans, functional brain activity was compared between patients with thalamic pain and healthy individuals. Furthermore, functional brain activity was compared in macaques, before and after the induction of thalamic pain in the same individuals. FCs between the amygdala of the unaffected hemisphere and the brainstem was significantly higher in patients with thalamic pain. More specifically, a significant FC higher was observed between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the ventral tegmental area, which also significantly predicted the value of a visual analog scale of pain intensity in individual patients. The macaque model of thalamic pain also exhibited a significant FC higher between the amygdala of the unaffected hemisphere and the brainstem, particularly between the BLA and the midbrain. Furthermore, the previously reported significant FC higher between the amygdala and the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus in macaques with thalamic pain was also reproduced in the human patients. Therefore, the present results suggest that the FC changes in the regions associated with emotion, memory, motivation, and reward are part of the underlying mechanisms of thalamic pain onset present in both human patients and model macaques. This cross-species convergence provides new insights into the neurological mechanisms underlying thalamic pain, paving the way for further studies and the development of therapeutic strategies. PerspectiveThis article presents that the functional connectivity changes in the regions associated with emotion, motivation, and reward are part of the underlying mechanisms of thalamic pain in humans and macaques.