Mouse study separates brain circuits for pain sensitivity and declining motivation
Published in Brain Activity, Brain/Neurology, Journals, Optogenetics.
Published October 11, 2026. A mouse study published in Neuron on October 9 identifies brain circuits that contribute at different stages to pain sensitivity and declining motivation after nerve injury.
Researchers at Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University tracked mice in a task that required increasing numbers of touchscreen nosepokes to earn food. Sensory hypersensitivity appeared by day one; reduced sustained effort became clear during testing on days seven to nine.
Two anterior cingulate cortex pathways showed different roles. Inhibiting the pathway to the lateral habenula improved effortful responding without reducing sensory hypersensitivity. Inhibiting the pathway to the basolateral amygdala from the day of injury reduced both hypersensitivity and later effort decline. Starting that intervention on day four reduced hypersensitivity but did not significantly improve later effort.
Scope: These animal experiments suggest that relief of pain sensitivity and recovery of sustained effort may require different circuit targets and timing. They do not establish a treatment for chronic pain or motivational problems in humans.
Sources: Original Neuron paper; Fudan University report, October 10, 2026.