To optimize neuromodulation therapy of orofacial pain, a more profound insight in the trigeminal pathways in the human brainstem is of crucial importance. Using ex-vivo, 11.7T magnetic resonance imaging, polarized light microscopy and myelin staining methods, both the ventral and dorsal trigeminothalamic tracts can be visualized in humans. The combination of these visualization techniques strengthens the validity of these findings although the number of specimens forms a limitation. Future research must show whether these results are reproducible in more human brains and whether the described tracts could lead to new neuromodulation targets for the treatment of orofacial pain.
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