Fig. 7: Schematic illustration of a cortico-cortical Au1-ACC neural circuit underlying cross-modal visceral pain modulation. | Nature Communications

Fig. 7: Schematic illustration of a cortico-cortical Au1-ACC neural circuit underlying cross-modal visceral pain modulation.

From: A primary auditory cortex-anterior cingulate cortex circuit underlying cross-modal visceral pain modulation

Fig. 7: Schematic illustration of a cortico-cortical Au1-ACC neural circuit underlying cross-modal visceral pain modulation.

This study discovers an Au1-ACC neural circuit integrating both GABAergic and glutamatergic projections, functioning as a bridge linking stress response/auditory processing with visceral pain modulation. Early-life stress disrupts the balance between GABAergic and glutamatergic neuronal activity in the Au1, thereby inducing visceral hypersensitivity by driving hyperactivity in the ACC. Remarkably, music intervention restores the excitation-inhibition balance in the Au1, and effectively alleviates visceral pain by enhancing Au1 GABAergic output and suppressing glutamatergic output to the ACC. The interconnecting structure between the Au1 and the ACC is metaphorically represented by the silhouette of the Zhaozhou Bridge, the world’s oldest open-spandrel segmental arch bridge of stone construction, still standing after over 1400 years. GABA: gamma-aminobutyric acid; Glu: glutamate.

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