Dissection of a cortical microcircuit for the processing of pain affect

Project Information

CorPain

Grant agreement ID: 682905

DOI

10.3030/682905

Project closed

EC signature date 20 June 2016

Start date 1 September 2016

End date 31 August 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 928 125,00

EU contribution

€ 1 928 125,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAET BERN
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - CorPain (Dissection of a cortical microcircuit for the processing of pain affect)

Reporting period: 2021-03-01 to 2021-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Chronic pain is a major health issue. It is estimated that about 20% of the adult European population suffer from some form of chronic pain. This pathological condition severely impacts quality of life and it is often associated with further symptoms like sleep disturbances, lack of motivation, anxiety and depression. The emotional and affective components during the development of chronic pain are poorly understood and difficult to treat.
We are investigating the cellular mechanisms that lead to the chronification of pain and the development of emotional disturbances in a preclinical model. We are particularly interested in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region that is involved in in emotional and affective pain processing. This brain region is consistently activated during nociception and it becomes hyperactive in chronic pain. We would like to understand which changes occur during the transition to chronic pain on the level of single neurons and of neuronal networks. Then we would like to associate these changes to anxiety and depression and suggest novel treatment strategies.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We have longitudinally followed the activity patterns of identified neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex and found changes in their activity pattern that are consistent with changes in their electrophysiological properties in the chronic pain state.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

By the end of the project we will have a detailed mechanistic understanding what network changes occur during the transition to chronic pain and we will propose novel treatment strategies for this condition.

Fluorescence image of neurons in the ACC and the corresponding spontaneous activity.