Topic: Allen Brain Atlas

Dry eye disease (DED) affects 30% of the adult population worldwide and causes corneal pain which remains a therapeutic challenge. Our study aimed to identify the first brain connectome associated with corneal pain by mapping c-Fos positive cells (an indirect marker of neuronal activation) in the whole mouse brain.Adult male C57BL/6 mice received unilateral topical instillation of 0.2% benzalkonium chloride twice/day for 7 days (DED model, n=5) and were compared to naive animals (n=5). Spontaneous ocular pain (eye closure ratio) and corneal mechanical sensitivity (von Frey test) were monitored

The Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) is critical for flexible coding and updating of stimulus value which in turn explains its role in decision making processes. Lesion studies and physiological recordings in experimental rodents are in line with subarea specific functional differences, partly comparable to previous primate studies. Emotionally relevant inputs from dopaminergic reward centers and amygdala during strong emotional reactions are also crucial in this regard. In order to explain the distinctive role of each of the OFC subregions, it is important to study the anatomical input-output archi