Distinct supraspinal neural pathways underlie licking-induced alleviation of pain sensation and aversion in male mice

ZI) neuronal ensembles are efferent to the hindlimb region of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1HL) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which regulate the sensory and affective components of licking-induced analgesia, respectively. These findings unveil critical cross-modal supraspinal pathways that enable tactile input to differentially regulate the sensory and affective components of nociception.