Somatotopic organization of the ventral nuclear group of the dorsal thalamus: deep brain stimulation for neuropathic pain reveals new insights into the facial homunculus.

Ziad Rifi, Luigi Gianmaria Remore, Meskerem Tolossa, Wenxin Wei, Xiaonan R Sun, Ausaf A Bari

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Brain structure & function, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 44% of its field

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1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

Methylphenidate reorganizes cortical hierarchy through dopaminergic modulation.Nature communications · 2025
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6 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Ziad Rifi *Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. zrifi@mednet.ucla.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3545-796X

Luigi Gianmaria RemoreDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4118-9009

Meskerem TolossaDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Wenxin WeiDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Xiaonan R SunDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2430-6277

Ausaf A BariDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5279-5023

University of California, Los Angeles · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an experimental treatment for medication-refractory neuropathic pain. The ventral posteromedial (VPM) and ventral posterolateral (VPL) nuclei of the thalamus are popular targets for the treatment of facial and limb pain, respectively. While intraoperative testing is used to adjust targeting of patient-specific pain locations, a better understanding of thalamic somatotopy may improve targeting of specific body regions including the individual trigeminal territories, face, arm, and leg. To elucidate the somatotopic organization of the ventral nuclear group of the dorsal thalamus using in vivo macrostimulation data from patients undergoing DBS for refractory neuropathic pain. In vivo macrostimulation data was retrospectively collected for 14 patients who underwent DBS implantation for neuropathic pain syndromes at our institution. 56 contacts from 14 electrodes reconstructed with LeadDBS were assigned to macrostimulation-related body regions: tongue, face, arm, or leg. 33 contacts from 9 electrodes were similarly assigned to one of three trigeminal territories: V1, V2, or V3. MNI coordinates in the x, y, and z axes were compared by using MANOVA. Across the horizontal plane of the ventral nuclear group of the dorsal thalamus, the tongue was represented significantly medially, followed by the face, arm, and leg most laterally (p < 0.001). The trigeminal territories displayed significant mediolateral distribution, proceeding from V1 and V2 most medial to V3 most lateral (p < 0.001). Along the y-axis, V2 was also significantly anterior to V3 (p = 0.014). While our results showed that the ventral nuclear group of the dorsal thalamus displayed mediolateral somatotopy of the tongue, face, arm, and leg mirroring the cortical homunculus, the mediolateral distribution of trigeminal territories did not mirror the established cortical homunculus. This finding suggests that the facial homunculus may be inverted in the ventral nuclear group of the dorsal thalamus.

Indexed as

Deep Brain StimulationNeuralgiaHumansRetrospective StudiesThalamusVentral Thalamic NucleiDeep brain stimulationNeuropathic painSensory processingTrigeminal neuralgiaVentral thalamic nuclei

Identifiers

PMID38172466

DOI10.48550/arXiv.2304.07167

OpenAlexW4390561425

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.