Spatial resolved single-cell dissection of mouse insula cortex organization, projection and function

Accumulating evidence suggests that the insular cortex (IC) is a central hub that integrates multi-dimensional aspects of pain. While its molecular, cellular, anatomic and connectivity complexity is consistent with its role in regulating multi-dimensional aspects of pain, its cellular composition, organization, and circuit mechanisms underlying its functions in regulating multi-dimensional aspects of pain remain poorly understood.

Here we employed the spatial transcriptome profiling technology MERFISH and neural tracing to comprehensively study the organization and connectivity of the IC with single-cell high resolution. A comparative analysis of MERFISH results under normal and chronic pain conditions allowed us to identify neuron subtypes that are most impacted by chronic pain.