Advertisement
ResearchIn-Press PreviewCell biologyNeuroscience
Open Access |
10.1172/JCI206862
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Lu, Y. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Yi, Y. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Liu, J. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Zhi, H. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Chang, Q. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Huang, Z. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Chen, Y. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Tan, H. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Tu, Y. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Wang, Y. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
1Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology,, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China
2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, nstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
3Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
4Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America
Find articles by Cen, C. in: PubMed | Google Scholar
Published July 14, 2026 - More info
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a severe orofacial pain disorder accompanied by anxiety, yet its central mechanisms remain elusive. Analysis of human fMRI data identified the parafascicular nucleus (PF) as a candidate region. Using a TN mouse model, we uncovered two spatially and functionally distinct PF neuronal ensembles that separately encoded sensory and affective dimensions of pain. One population received inhibitory input from GABAergic neurons in the oral spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5O) and mediated nociception. The second population, driven by a glutamatergic Sp5O-lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPBN)-PF pathway, encoded pain-related anxiety. The engagement of the anxiety-encoding ensemble lagged behind that of the pain-encoding ensemble, with a shorter delay in females. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing identified Col25a1 and Syn2 as markers of the anxiety-encoding ensemble. Notably, this population, localized in the medial PF, formed a reciprocal lPBN-mPF-lPBN excitatory-feedback loop that sustained affective pain. These findings positioned PF as a key node linking pain and emotion in TN.