Topic: optogenetic transdermal stimulation

Pain expectation is known to influence pain perception, but the underlying neuronal mechanisms remain unclear. While the motor role of the corticospinal tract is well characterized, only recently was it established that the corticospinal neurons originating from the primary somatosensory cortex (S1-CSNs) specifically contact the sensory region of the spinal cord, providing top-down regulation of sensations including pain. S1-CSNs neurons are therefore ideally positioned to modulate spinal nociception based on sensory representations and expectations. To test whether S1-CSNs activity is modulat