Topic: nociceptive responses

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is important for both sensory integration and the processing of affective aspects of pain to coordinate appropriate behavioral reactions. However, the role of the projections of ACC neurons to subcortical areas and their influence on sensory processing are not fully understood. Here, we identified that ACC neurons preferentially project to the contralateral claustrum (CLA). Extracellular recordings in awake mice showed that ACC neurons projecting to the contralateral claustrum (ACC→contraCLA) preferentially respond to contralateral mechanical sensory stimula