在痛觉生理研究中

丘脑作为皮层下躯体感觉的高级整合中枢

早已为人们所重视。其中髓板内核群、内侧核群及后核群与痛觉机制的密切关系也愈来愈清楚了。针刺镇痛的实验研究中

丘脑水平的工作基本都集中在髓板内核群中的束旁核(Pf)

还有一部分中央外侧核(CL)的工作。有人认为

在丘脑接受痛觉信息的核团主要是Pf和CL

这些核团的单位痛放电可因针刺而抑制。但邻近的中央中核(CM)不接受痛觉信息

是接受针刺信息

对痛觉进行调节的机构。随着实验的深入

Pf在There are different views about whether the nucleus Centrum Median- um (CM) of thalamus could respond to the nociceptive stimuli. In the fi- eld of acupuncture analgesia research

however

there is rather Little investigation on CM. The aim of this paper is to explore the effect of electro-acupuncture on the single unit activity of CM. Experiments were carried out on awake and restrained cats. On the background of spontaneous activities

we found that some units of CM could respond to the nociceptive stimulation which was delivered to the nerve suralis. Based on the single unit activity evoked by the nociceptive stimulation

it could be divided into two types. One of them is the pattern of excitation and the other is the pattern of inhibition. Neither the non- nociceptive electro stimulation nor the brush hair can elicit any type of discharge mentioned above. After electro-acupuncture

discharge of excitatory pattern was depressed and the discharge of inhibitory pattern was attenuated. According to these findings

it is shown that (1) the peripheral nocic- eptive impulses can arrive at CM; (2) two kinds of information aroused from acupuncture and nociceptive stimulation may converge in CM; (3) the single unit activity evoked by nociceptive stimulation is weak ened by electroacupuncture. Therefore we suggest that the role of CM in pain and acupuncture analgesia should be elucidated by further investigations.