Featured
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Article
| Open AccessDirect contribution of the sensory cortex to the judgment of stimulus duration
The neural substrates of time perception are still unclear. Here, the authors show that as rats judged tactile stimuli, optogenetic manipulation of somatosensory cortex systematically altered perception of stimulus intensity and of duration, unveiling a multiplexed code.
- Sebastian Reinartz
- , Arash Fassihi
- & Mathew E. Diamond
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Article
| Open AccessSensory Schwann cells set perceptual thresholds for touch and selectively regulate mechanical nociception
Schwann cells associated with most sensory receptors in the skin actively participate in the transduction of mechanical stimuli. Here the authors show that silencing these sensory Schwann cells is sufficient to reduce touch perception and can inhibit mechanical pain in mice.
- Julia Ojeda-Alonso
- , Laura Calvo-Enrique
- & Gary R. Lewin
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Perspective
| Open AccessNeuromorphic hardware for somatosensory neuroprostheses
Neuroprosthetic devices have recently emerged as promising solutions to restore sensory-motor functions lost due to injury or neurological diseases. In this perspective, Donati and Valle propose to combine neuroprostheses with neuromorphic technologies for designing more natural human-machine interfaces with possible improvements in device performance, acceptability, and embeddability.
- Elisa Donati
- & Giacomo Valle
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Article
| Open AccessEndogenous noise of neocortical neurons correlates with atypical sensory response variability in the Fmr1−/y mouse model of autism
Enhanced variability is a hallmark of atypical sensory processing in autism. Here, focusing on variability of neocortical tactile responses in mice, the authors explore the role of endogenous noise sources in neural processing in a model of autism.
- Arjun A. Bhaskaran
- , Théo Gauvrit
- & Andreas Frick
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Article
| Open AccessMicrostimulation of human somatosensory cortex evokes task-dependent, spatially patterned responses in motor cortex
Here the authors record the responses evoked in the hand and arm representations of M1 during intracortical microstimulation in the hand representation of S1, and show somatotopically organized connections with motor cortex. The resulting interference with motor decoding is task dependent but can be alleviated by using biomimetic stimulation.
- Natalya D. Shelchkova
- , John E. Downey
- & Sliman J. Bensmaia
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Article
| Open AccessEpigenetic regulation of beta-endorphin synthesis in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neurons modulates neuropathic pain in a rodent pain model
Neuropathic pain is a complex and often disabling condition with unclear pathogenesis. Here, the authors elucidate an epigenetic regulatory pathway driven by microRNA regulation of betaendorphin (β-EP) synthesis in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) neurons to modulate neuropathic pain.
- Yu Tao
- , Yuan Zhang
- & Jin Tao
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Article
| Open AccessRapid threat assessment in the Drosophila thermosensory system
Animals are more likely to react to rapid rather than slow temperature change. Here, the authors identify a brain circuit in Drosophila that selectively responds to rapid thermal change, priming behavior for escape.
- Genevieve C. Jouandet
- , Michael H. Alpert
- & Marco Gallio
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Article
| Open AccessNeural mechanisms for the localization of unexpected external motion
To localize objects in the environment, animals must distinguish external from self-generated stimulus motion. Here, the authors reveal a transient response in the superior colliculus that emerges when external motion violates self-generated predictions.
- Suma Chinta
- & Scott R. Pluta
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Article
| Open AccessHuman OPRM1 and murine Oprm1 promoter driven viral constructs for genetic access to μ-opioidergic cell types
Tools for gaining long-term genetic access to mu-opioid receptor (MOR) neural cell types are limited. Here, the authors develop a suite of adeno-associated viral tools allowing selective genetic access to MOR cell types, and showcase their use across species.
- Gregory J. Salimando
- , Sébastien Tremblay
- & Gregory Corder
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Article
| Open AccessA glutamatergic DRN–VTA pathway modulates neuropathic pain and comorbid anhedonia-like behavior in mice
The neural circuit mechanisms underlying chronic pain and comorbid anhedonia remain poorly understood. Here, the authors show the critical role of the DRN–VTA–NAcMed pathway in establishing and modulating chronic neuropathic pain and comorbid anhedonia.
- Xin-Yue Wang
- , Wen-Bin Jia
- & Yan Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessA common neuronal ensemble in nucleus accumbens regulates pain-like behaviour and sleep
A comorbidity of chronic pain is sleep disturbance. Here, authors show the identification and characterization of a common neuronal ensemble in NAc that regulates pain-like behaviour and sleep through its divergent downstream circuit targets.
- Haiyan Sun
- , Zhilin Li
- & Jun-Li Cao
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Article
| Open AccessDynamic spatial coding in parietal cortex mediates tactile-motor transformation
The neural coding of tactile processing and movement planning in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is not well understood. Here, the authors show a distinction between anatomical and spatial location coding in the anterior and posterior PPC respectively during sensory processing, and that the PPC dynamically integrates this information with task requirements to derive a movement goal in space during motor planning.
- Janina Klautke
- , Celia Foster
- & Tobias Heed
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Article
| Open AccessHuman orbitofrontal cortex signals decision outcomes to sensory cortex during behavioral adaptations
How the prefrontal cortex interacts with sensory cortex for behavioral adaptation in humans is unclear. Here, Wang et al. show that prediction-error related activity in lateral orbitofrontal cortex is conveyed as a teaching signal to update the outcome representation in sensory cortex.
- Bin A. Wang
- , Maike Veismann
- & Burkhard Pleger
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Article
| Open AccessPrimary somatosensory cortex bidirectionally modulates sensory gain and nociceptive behavior in a layer-specific manner
How the brain controls pain perception remains elusive. Here, authors show that layers 5 and 6 of the somatosensory cortex suppress or enhance nociception through cell-type-specific cortical and corticothalamic interactions.
- Katharina Ziegler
- , Ross Folkard
- & Alexander Groh
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Article
| Open AccessCentral medial thalamic nucleus dynamically participates in acute itch sensation and chronic itch-induced anxiety-like behavior in male mice
Itch is known to involve the parabrachial nucleus, but the following transmission nodes remain elusive. Here, the authors show in male mice that the central medial thalamic nucleus—medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pathway transmits itch signals and is involved in both acute scratching and chronic itch-related affective behavior, with an altered excitatory/inhibitory balance in mPFC in chronic itch models.
- Jia-Ni Li
- , Xue-Mei Wu
- & Yun-Qing Li
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Article
| Open AccessPiezo2 regulates colonic mechanical sensitivity in a sex specific manner in mice
Piezo2 in mucosa and primary afferents mediates colonic mechanical sensation. Here the authors show that activation of Piezo2 regulates colonic mechanical sensitivity in a sex dependent manner.
- Jonathan Madar
- , Namrata Tiwari
- & Liya Y. Qiao
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Article
| Open AccessMotor cortex gates distractor stimulus encoding in sensory cortex
The neocortex can filter out stimuli that distract us from our goals. Here the authors demonstrate in mice a mechanism of distractor filtering, in which top-down inputs from motor cortex to sensory cortex prevents the internal propagation of distractor stimuli.
- Zhaoran Zhang
- & Edward Zagha
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Article
| Open AccessPeripersonal encoding of forelimb proprioception in the mouse somatosensory cortex
In contrast to tactile sensations, proprioceptive cortical coding is barely studied in the mammalian brain. Here, using calcium imaging and optogenetic silencing experiments during a forelimb displacement paradigm in mice, the authors locate the proprioceptive cortex to both sensory and motor cortex, and further find passive limb movements to be encoded as a spatial direction vector interfacing the limb with the body’s peripersonal space.
- Ignacio Alonso
- , Irina Scheer
- & Mario Prsa
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Article
| Open AccessRole of TMEM100 in mechanically insensitive nociceptor un-silencing
Silent nociceptors remained enigmatic ever since they were first described decades ago. Here, Nees. et al. show that inflammation-induced upregulation of TMEM100 unsilences silent nociceptors, which triggers secondary mechanical pain hypersensitivity.
- Timo A. Nees
- , Na Wang
- & Stefan G. Lechner
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Article
| Open AccessModeling of three-dimensional innervated epidermal like-layer in a microfluidic chip-based coculture system
Skin-nerve crosstalk is a major element of skin physiological pathology. Here the authors report a 3D innervated epidermal keratinocyte layer as a sensory neuron-epidermal keratinocyte coculture model on a microfluidic chip using the slope-based air-liquid interfacing culture and spatial compartmentalization.
- Jinchul Ahn
- , Kyungeun Ohk
- & Sang-Hoon Lee
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Article
| Open AccessOngoing movement controls sensory integration in the dorsolateral striatum
The basal ganglia process sensory and motor related information, but it is not known how movement affects sensory integration. Here, the authors show using in vivo whole-cell recordings that striatal neurons respond to both sensory stimuli and spontaneous whisking and that sensory responses are attenuated by whisking.
- Roberto de la Torre-Martinez
- , Maya Ketzef
- & Gilad Silberberg
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Article
| Open AccessCross-species transcriptomic atlas of dorsal root ganglia reveals species-specific programs for sensory function
Sensory neurons are critical for maintaining tissue homeostasis. Here, the authors generated a single-nuclei cross-species atlas of the dorsal root ganglia, revealing conserved programs for sensory function that could inform therapeutic hypotheses.
- Min Jung
- , Michelle Dourado
- & Joshua S. Kaminker
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular identity of proprioceptor subtypes innervating different muscle groups in mice
The molecular basis of proprioceptive neuron subtype identities is not fully understood. Here the authors investigate diversity of proprioceptive neurons connected to different muscles at the molecular level, and show that acquisition of muscle-type identity precedes the emergence of receptor character and contains effectors controlling muscle connectivity.
- Stephan Dietrich
- , Carlos Company
- & Niccolò Zampieri
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Article
| Open AccessTuning instability of non-columnar neurons in the salt-and-pepper whisker map in somatosensory cortex
Rodent sensory cortex contains intermixed representations of sensory features. Here the authors investigated the whisker somatotopic map among L2/3 pyramidal neurons in somatosensory cortex in awake mice performing a sensory discrimination task.
- Han Chin Wang
- , Amy M. LeMessurier
- & Daniel E. Feldman
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Article
| Open AccessComputational and neural mechanisms of statistical pain learning
Pain fluctuates over time in ways that are non-random. Here, the authors show that the human brain can learn to predict these changes in a manner consistent with optimal Bayesian inference by engaging sensorimotor, parietal, and premotor regions.
- Flavia Mancini
- , Suyi Zhang
- & Ben Seymour
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Article
| Open AccessDistinct organization of two cortico-cortical feedback pathways
Cortical activity is modulated by an intricate network of feedforward and feedback connectivity. Here the authors demonstrate distinct organizational rules govern feedback projections from lateral medial area to V1 versus projections from vibrissal M1 to vibrissal S1.
- Shan Shen
- , Xiaolong Jiang
- & Andreas S. Tolias
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Article
| Open AccessTRPM8 contributes to sex dimorphism by promoting recovery of normal sensitivity in a mouse model of chronic migraine
A mouse model of chronic migraine reveals that males recover normal sensitivity before than females. This antinociception requires TRPM8 expression and presence of testosterone, which elicits currents and calcium transients via human and murine TRPM8.
- David Alarcón-Alarcón
- , David Cabañero
- & Antonio Ferrer-Montiel
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Article
| Open AccessLearning enhances encoding of time and temporal surprise in mouse primary sensory cortex
Activity in the superficial layers of the sensory cortex is believed to be largely driven by incoming sensory stimuli. Here the authors demonstrate how learning changes neural responses to sensations according to both behavioral relevance and timing, suggesting a high degree of non-sensory modulation.
- Rebecca J. Rabinovich
- , Daniel D. Kato
- & Randy M. Bruno
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Article
| Open AccessTransformation of primary sensory cortical representations from layer 4 to layer 2
The transform performed by superficial primary sensory cortex is poorly understood. Here the authors show that sensory stimulus-evoked activity shifts from a broadly distributed, probabilistic response in cortical layer 4 to a sparse and robust ensemble-based response in cortical layer 2.
- Bettina Voelcker
- , Ravi Pancholi
- & Simon Peron
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Article
| Open AccessCell type-specific calcium imaging of central sensitization in mouse dorsal horn
Altered mechanosensation by application of capsaicin to the skin is thought to be spinally mediated. Here, the authors use Ca2+ imaging in spinal neurons and develop a cell profiling approach to identify populations involved in central sensitization.
- Charles Warwick
- , Joseph Salsovic
- & Sarah E. Ross
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Article
| Open AccessEarly life inflammation is associated with spinal cord excitability and nociceptive sensitivity in human infants
More than 1 in 10 babies born in the UK are suspected of having an infection. Here the authors show that newborn babies with signs of infection (raised C-Reactive Protein levels) have exaggerated leg reflexes and pain-related brain activity following a heel prick blood test, suggesting they may be more sensitive to pain.
- Maria M. Cobo
- , Gabrielle Green
- & Rebeccah Slater
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Article
| Open AccessOlfactory modulation of barrel cortex activity during active whisking and passive whisker stimulation
Rodents use both touch and smell to get around. This work describes how olfactory information is combined with touch perception in the cortex to guide behavior.
- Anthony Renard
- , Evan R. Harrell
- & Brice Bathellier
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Article
| Open AccessDistinct nociception processing in the dysgranular and barrel regions of the mouse somatosensory cortex
The processing of nociception in the somatosensory cortex (S1) has yet to be fully understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that the dysgranular region in S1 has an affinity for nociception and is critically involved in pain-like behavior.
- Hironobu Osaki
- , Moeko Kanaya
- & Mariko Miyata
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Article
| Open AccessDissociation between individual differences in self-reported pain intensity and underlying fMRI brain activation
Previous work had suggested that fMRI measures can be used as a marker of pain experience. Here the authors find no evidence for a link between perceived pain intensity and fMRI activation.
- M. E. Hoeppli
- , H. Nahman-Averbuch
- & R. C. Coghill
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Article
| Open AccessPresynaptic NMDARs on spinal nociceptor terminals state-dependently modulate synaptic transmission and pain
Postsynaptic NMDARs at spinal synapses are required for postsynaptic long-term potentiation and chronic pain. Here, the authors show that also presynaptic NMDARs in spinal nociceptor terminals modulate synaptic transmission in a nociceptive tone-dependent manner.
- Rou-Gang Xie
- , Wen-Guang Chu
- & Ceng Luo
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Article
| Open AccessAutomatic mapping of multiplexed social receptive fields by deep learning and GPU-accelerated 3D videography
High resolution descriptions of social interactions and their neural correlates are lacking. Here the authors report a pipeline enabling fully automatic multi-animal tracking during social encounters, together with simultaneous electrophysiological recordings, and show this works in low-light settings.
- Christian L. Ebbesen
- & Robert C. Froemke
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Article
| Open AccessLongitudinal functional imaging of VIP interneurons reveals sup-population specific effects of stroke that are rescued with chemogenetic therapy
Stroke profoundly disrupts cortical excitability which impedes recovery, but how stroke affects inhibitory interneurons is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that functional impairments after stroke are associated with the disruption of a highly active subpopulation of interneurons expressing vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which could be ameliorated by chemogenetic stimulation.
- Mohamad Motaharinia
- , Kim Gerrow
- & Craig E. Brown
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Article
| Open AccessA common computational principle for vibrotactile pitch perception in mouse and human
The features of vibrations provide key information on the surrounding environment. Here the authors show that a common computational principle underlies vibrotactile pitch perception in both mice and humans.
- Mario Prsa
- , Deniz Kilicel
- & Daniel Huber
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Article
| Open AccessReduction of corpus callosum activity during whisking leads to interhemispheric decorrelation
Interhemispheric correlations are mediated by the corpus callosum, an extensive fiber bundle connecting the cortical hemispheres. The authors show that interhemispheric correlations between the somatosensory cortices of awake mice are reduced during whisking as a result of lower callosal activity.
- Yael Oran
- , Yonatan Katz
- & Ilan Lampl
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Article
| Open AccessBarrel cortex plasticity after photothrombotic stroke involves potentiating responses of pre-existing circuits but not functional remapping to new circuits
Definitive evidence for functional remapping after stroke remains lacking. Here, the authors performed in vivo intrinsic signal imaging and two-photon calcium imaging of sensory-evoked responses before and after photothrombotic stroke and found no evidence of remapping of lost functionalities to new circuits in peri-infarct cortex.
- William A. Zeiger
- , Máté Marosi
- & Carlos Portera-Cailliau
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Article
| Open AccessSubcortical circuits mediate communication between primary sensory cortical areas in mice
In the primary auditory cortex, visual or tactile stimuli can modulate acoustically-driven activity. Here, the authors show that circuits linking the primary somatosensory cortex to both the auditory midbrain and thalamus allow tactile inputs to modulate auditory thalamocortical processing.
- Michael Lohse
- , Johannes C. Dahmen
- & Andrew J. King
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Article
| Open AccessFunctional and diffusion MRI reveal the neurophysiological basis of neonates’ noxious-stimulus evoked brain activity
The neurophysiological basis of neonatal responses to noxious stimulation is poorly understood. Using MRI, the authors observe that neonates’ noxious-stimulus evoked brain activity is coupled to both their resting-state network activity and white matter microstructure.
- Luke Baxter
- , Fiona Moultrie
- & Rebeccah Slater
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Article
| Open AccessA continuum of invariant sensory and behavioral-context perceptual coding in secondary somatosensory cortex
The secondary somatosensory cortex represents a range of invariant sensory responses and perceptual categorical codes across the population, with a continuum of mixed dynamics that abstractly depend on task‐demand, although the sensory representations remain unaltered.
- Román Rossi-Pool
- , Antonio Zainos
- & Ranulfo Romo
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Article
| Open AccessSingle cell transcriptomics of primate sensory neurons identifies cell types associated with chronic pain
The contribution of distinct types of dorsal root ganglion neurons to chronic pain is unclear. Here, the authors molecularly profile non-human primate sensory neurons and show that genome-wide associations converge on two neuronal types with different genetic susceptibilities for chronic pain.
- Jussi Kupari
- , Dmitry Usoskin
- & Patrik Ernfors
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Article
| Open AccessATF4 selectively regulates heat nociception and contributes to kinesin-mediated TRPM3 trafficking
The molecular mechanisms mediating nociception are unclear. Here, the authors show that the Activating Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4) is important for the response to heat nociception in mice and ATF4 role in mediating protein trafficking in dorsal root ganglion neurons.
- Man-Xiu Xie
- , Xian-Ying Cao
- & Xiao-Long Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessInnocuous pressure sensation requires A-type afferents but not functional ΡΙΕΖΟ2 channels in humans
The mechanisms underlying deep pressure sensing are not fully understood. Here the authors demonstrate that while two individuals lacking Aβ fibers demonstrate impaired deep pressure sensing, seven individuals with PIEZO2 loss of function mutations display normal deep pressure responses.
- Laura K. Case
- , Jaquette Liljencrantz
- & Alexander T. Chesler
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Article
| Open AccessSensory input drives rapid homeostatic scaling of the axon initial segment in mouse barrel cortex
The axon initial segment (AIS) is critical for action potential initiation and implicated in the regulation of neuronal excitability. The authors describe bidirectional AIS plasticity in a behaviourally relevant context, revealing that the AIS acts in vivo as a homeostatic regulatory domain.
- Nora Jamann
- , Dominik Dannehl
- & Maren Engelhardt
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Article
| Open AccessParabrachial nucleus circuit governs neuropathic pain-like behavior
The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) projects to the amygdala, and contributes to affective aspects of neuropathic pain. Here the authors demonstrate that the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) contributes to hypersensitivity in a mouse model of neuropathic pain.
- Li Sun
- , Rui Liu
- & Shumin Duan
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Article
| Open AccessCommon and distinct neural representations of aversive somatic and visceral stimulation in healthy individuals
Whether the brain processes different types of pain similarly or differently remains unknown. The authors show that an established neurologic pain signature responds to five different types of visceral and somatic pain; they also develop a new classifier that reliably discriminates between both pain modalities.
- Lukas Van Oudenhove
- , Philip A. Kragel
- & Tor D. Wager