The Anterior Cingulate Cortex as an Integrative Hub: Mechanisms Underlying Pain and Anxiety Comorbidity - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #Pain and Anxiety Comorbidity
- #Anterior Cingulate Cortex
- #Neuromodulation
- Chronic pain and anxiety disorders are highly comorbid, forming a vicious cycle.
- The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) dysfunction is proposed as the core neural substrate for this comorbidity.
- Macro-level neuroimaging shows abnormal ACC activation, disrupted connectivity, and structural degeneration in comorbid individuals.
- Therapeutic neuromodulation targeting the ACC can alleviate both pain and anxiety symptoms.
- Micro-level mechanisms include LTP of excitatory synapses, disrupted inhibition, neuroimmune interactions, and epigenetic changes in the ACC.
- Circuit-level dysfunction involves the ACC's interaction with amygdala, thalamus, periaqueductal gray, and prefrontal cortex.
- Emerging therapies target glutamate/GABA imbalance, immunomodulation, epigenetics, and precision neuromodulation in the ACC.
- Future research should integrate multilevel methods to uncover ACC pathophysiology for better treatments.