Role of thalamic nuclei in the modulation of Fos expression within the cerebral cortex during hypertonic saline-induced muscle nociception

•Functional connections between the thalamus and cerebral cortex were investigated.•Thalamic MD nucleus modulated neuronal activities of the cingulate cortex.•Thalamic VM nucleus controlled neuronal responses of the insular cortex.•μ-Opioid receptors in thalamic MD and VM nuclei participated in the modulation of pain.•Mirror or contralateral pain is relied on bilateral activities of the cerebral cortex.

It has been proposed that thalamic mediodorsal (MD) and ventromedial (VM) nuclei form thalamic 'nociceptive discriminators' in discrimination of nociceptive afferents, and specifically govern endogenous descending facilitation and inhibition. The present study conducted in rats was to explore the role of thalamic MD and VM nuclei in modulation of cerebral neuronal activities by means of detection of spatiotemporal variations of Fos expression within the cerebral cortex. Following a unilateral intramuscular injection of 5.8% saline into the gastrocnemius muscle, Fos expression within the bilateral, different areas of the cerebral cortex except S2 was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Particularly, the increases in Fos expression within the cingulate cortex and the insular cortex occurred at 0.5 h, 4 h and reached the peak level at 4 h, 16 h, respectively. Electrolytic lesion of the contralateral thalamic MD and VM nuclei significantly blocked the 5.8% saline intramuscularly induced increases in Fos expression within the bilateral cingulate and insular cortices, respectively. Additionally, the 5.8% saline-induced Fos expression in the cingulate cortex and the insular cortex were dose-dependently attenuated by microinjection of μ-opioid antagonist β-funaltrexamine hydrochloride into the thalamic MD and VM nuclei. It is suggested that (1) the neural circuits of 'thalamic MD nucleus - cingulate cortex' and 'thalamic VM nucleus - insular cortex' form two distinct pathways in the endogenous control of nociception, (2) mirror or contralateral pain is hypothesized to be related to cross-talk of neuronal activities within the bilateral cerebral cortices modulated by μ-opioid receptors within the thalamic MD and VM nuclei.