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Alexandre C, Miracca G, Holanda VD, Sharma A, Kourbanova K, Ferreira A, Bicca MA, Zeng X, Nassar VA, Lee S, Kaur S, Sarma SV, Sacré P, Scammell TE, Woolf CJ, Latremoliere A. Nociceptor spontaneous activity is responsible for fragmenting non-rapid eye movement sleep in mouse models of neuropathic pain. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadg3036. [PMID: 38630850 PMCID: PMC11106840 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adg3036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Spontaneous pain, a major complaint of patients with neuropathic pain, has eluded study because there is no reliable marker in either preclinical models or clinical studies. Here, we performed a comprehensive electroencephalogram/electromyogram analysis of sleep in several mouse models of chronic pain: neuropathic (spared nerve injury and chronic constriction injury), inflammatory (Freund's complete adjuvant and carrageenan, plantar incision) and chemical pain (capsaicin). We find that peripheral axonal injury drives fragmentation of sleep by increasing brief arousals from non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) without changing total sleep amount. In contrast to neuropathic pain, inflammatory or chemical pain did not increase brief arousals. NREMS fragmentation was reduced by the analgesics gabapentin and carbamazepine, and it resolved when pain sensitivity returned to normal in a transient neuropathic pain model (sciatic nerve crush). Genetic silencing of peripheral sensory neurons or ablation of CGRP+ neurons in the parabrachial nucleus prevented sleep fragmentation, whereas pharmacological blockade of skin sensory fibers was ineffective, indicating that the neural activity driving the arousals originates ectopically in primary nociceptor neurons and is relayed through the lateral parabrachial nucleus. These findings identify NREMS fragmentation by brief arousals as an effective proxy to measure spontaneous neuropathic pain in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Alexandre
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Pain Research institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Giulia Miracca
- Department of Neurology, Beth israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Victor Duarte Holanda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Pain Research institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ashley Sharma
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Pain Research institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kamila Kourbanova
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Pain Research institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ashley Ferreira
- Department of Neurology, Beth israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Maíra A. Bicca
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Pain Research institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Xiangsunze Zeng
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Victoria A. Nassar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Pain Research institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Seungkyu Lee
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Satvinder Kaur
- Department of Neurology, Beth israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sridevi V. Sarma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Pierre Sacré
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, School of Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Thomas E. Scammell
- Department of Neurology, Beth israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Clifford J. Woolf
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alban Latremoliere
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Pain Research institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Neuronal basis for pain- and anxiety-like behaviors in the central nucleus of the amygdala. Pain 2021; 163:e463-e475. [PMID: 34174041 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Chronic pain is often accompanied by anxiety and depression disorders. Amygdala nuclei play important roles in emotional responses, fear, depression, anxiety and pain modulation. The exact mechanism of how amygdala neurons are involved in pain and anxiety is not completely understood. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) contains two major subpopulations of GABAergic neurons that express somatostatin (SOM+) or protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ+). In this study, we found about 70% of pERK-positive neurons colocalized with PKCδ+ neurons in the formalin-induced pain model in mice. Optogenetic activation of PKCδ+ neurons was sufficient to induce mechanical hyperalgesia without changing anxiety-like behavior in naïve mice. Conversely, chemogenetic inhibition of PKCδ+ neurons significantly reduced the mechanical hyperalgesia in the pain model. In contrast, optogenetic inhibition of SOM+ neurons induced mechanical hyperalgesia in naïve mice and increased pERK-positive neurons mainly in PKCδ+ neurons. Optogenetic activation of SOM+ neurons slightly reduced the mechanical hyperalgesia in the pain model but did not change the mechanical sensitivity in naïve mice. Instead, it induced anxiety-like behavior. Our results suggest that the PKCδ+ and SOM+ neurons in CeA exert different functions in regulating pain- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice.
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Fatigue-induced Fos immunoreactivity within the lumbar cord and amygdala decreases after С 60 fullerene pretreatment. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9826. [PMID: 32555429 PMCID: PMC7299940 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67034-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The fundamental aspects related to the mechanisms of action of C60 fullerene nanoparticles on the level of the central nervous system in different experimental conditions are still unclear. Electrophysiological investigation and immunohistochemical techniques of c-fos expression were combined to determine which neural elements within the lumbar segments and in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) are activated under skeletal muscle fatigue development with prior application of C60 fullerenes (dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and in distilled water, FDS). After high-frequency electrical stimulation of the triceps surae muscle, the main fatigue-related increases in the c-Fos expression level were registered ipsilaterally within lamina 1 and 5 of the lumbar segments and within the contralateral capsular part of the CeA. C60 fullerene pretreatment in animals with subsequent electrical stimulation induced a distinct (2–4 times) decrease in the level of Fos immunoreactivity in the observed structures in comparison with only fatigue-induced rats. It can be supposed that FDS, as antioxidant compound, can decrease the concentration of free radicals in fatigued tissue and reduce the transmission intensity of nociceptive information from muscles to the spinal cord and amygdala, thereby changing the level of c-Fos expression within the lumbar segments and CeA.
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Geerling JC, Yokota S, Rukhadze I, Roe D, Chamberlin NL. Kölliker-Fuse GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons project to distinct targets. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:1844-1860. [PMID: 28032634 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The Kölliker-Fuse nucleus (KF) is known primarily for its respiratory function as the "pneumotaxic center" or "pontine respiratory group." Considered part of the parabrachial (PB) complex, KF contains glutamatergic neurons that project to respiratory-related targets in the medulla and spinal cord (Yokota, Oka, Tsumori, Nakamura, & Yasui, 2007). Here we describe an unexpected population of neurons in the caudal KF and adjacent lateral crescent subnucleus (PBlc), which are γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic and have an entirely different pattern of projections than glutamatergic KF neurons. First, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, and Cre-reporter labeling revealed that many of these GABAergic neurons express FoxP2 in both rats and mice. Next, using Cre-dependent axonal tracing in Vgat-IRES-Cre and Vglut2-IRES-Cre mice, we identified different projection patterns from GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in this region. GABAergic neurons in KF and PBlc project heavily and almost exclusively to trigeminal sensory nuclei, with minimal projections to cardiorespiratory nuclei in the brainstem, and none to the spinal cord. In contrast, glutamatergic KF neurons project heavily to the autonomic, respiratory, and motor regions of the medulla and spinal cord previously identified as efferent targets mediating KF cardiorespiratory effects. These findings identify a novel, GABAergic subpopulation of KF/PB neurons with a distinct efferent projection pattern targeting the brainstem trigeminal sensory system. Rather than regulating breathing, we propose that these neurons influence vibrissal sensorimotor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel C Geerling
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Shigefumi Yokota
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Anatomy and Morphological Neuroscience, Shimane University School of Medicine, Izumo, Japan
| | - Irma Rukhadze
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California
| | - Dan Roe
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nancy L Chamberlin
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Gautier A, El Ouaraki H, Bazin N, Salam S, Vodjdani G, Bourgoin S, Pezet S, Bernard JF, Hamon M. Lentiviral vector-driven inhibition of 5-HT synthesis in B3 bulbo-spinal serotonergic projections – Consequences on nociception, inflammatory and neuropathic pain in rats. Exp Neurol 2017; 288:11-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Wang JW, Stifani S. Roles of Runx Genes in Nervous System Development. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 962:103-116. [PMID: 28299654 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-3233-2_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Runt-related (Runx) transcription factors play essential roles during development and adult tissue homeostasis and are responsible for several human diseases. They regulate a variety of biological mechanisms in numerous cell lineages. Recent years have seen significant progress in our understanding of the functions performed by Runx proteins in the developing and postnatal mammalian nervous system. In both central and peripheral nervous systems, Runx1 and Runx3 display remarkably specific expression in mostly non-overlapping groups of postmitotic neurons. In the central nervous system, Runx1 is involved in the development of selected motor neurons controlling neural circuits mediating vital functions such as chewing, swallowing, breathing, and locomotion. In the peripheral nervous system, Runx1 and Runx3 play essential roles during the development of sensory neurons involved in circuits mediating pain, itch, thermal sensation and sense of relative position. Runx1 and Runx3 orchestrate complex gene expression programs controlling neuronal subtype specification and axonal connectivity. Runx1 is also important in the olfactory system, where it regulates the progenitor-to-neuron transition in undifferentiated neural progenitor cells in the olfactory epithelium as well as the proliferation and developmental maturation of specific glial cells termed olfactory ensheathing cells. Moreover, upregulated Runx expression is associated with brain injury and disease. Increasing knowledge of the functions of Runx proteins in the developing and postnatal nervous system is therefore expected to improve our understanding of nervous system development, homeostasis and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Woong Wang
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A2B4, Canada
| | - Stefano Stifani
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A2B4, Canada.
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Miller RL, Knuepfer MM, Wang MH, Denny GO, Gray PA, Loewy AD. Fos-activation of FoxP2 and Lmx1b neurons in the parabrachial nucleus evoked by hypotension and hypertension in conscious rats. Neuroscience 2012; 218:110-25. [PMID: 22641087 PMCID: PMC3405558 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.05.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2012] [Revised: 05/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The parabrachial nucleus (PB) is a brainstem cell group that receives a strong input from the nucleus tractus solitarius regarding the physiological status of the internal organs and sends efferent projections throughout the forebrain. Since the neuroanatomical organization of the PB remains unclear, our first step was to use specific antibodies against two neural lineage transcription factors: Forkhead box protein2 (FoxP2) and LIM homeodomain transcription factor 1 beta (Lmx1b) to define the PB in adult rats. This allowed us to construct a cytoarchitectonic PB map based on the distribution of neurons that constitutively express these two transcription factors. Second, the in situ hybridization method combined with immunohistochemistry demonstrated that mRNA for glutamate vesicular transporter Vglut2 (Slc17a6) was present in most of the Lmx1b+ and FoxP2+ parabrachial neurons, indicating these neurons use glutamate as a transmitter. Third, conscious rats were maintained in a hypotensive or hypertensive state for 2h, and then, their brainstems were prepared by the standard c-Fos method which is a measure of neuronal activity. Both hypotension and hypertension resulted in c-Fos activation of Lmx1b+ neurons in the external lateral-outer subdivision of the PB (PBel-outer). Hypotension, but not hypertension, caused c-Fos activity in the FoxP2+ neurons of the central lateral PB (PBcl) subnucleus. The Kölliker-Fuse nucleus as well as the lateral crescent PB and rostral-most part of the PBcl contain neurons that co-express FoxP2+ and Lmx1b+, but none of these were activated after blood pressure changes. Salt-sensitive FoxP2 neurons in the pre-locus coeruleus and PBel-inner were not c-Fos activated following blood pressure changes. In summary, the present study shows that the PBel-outer and PBcl subnuclei originate from two different neural progenitors, contain glutamatergic neurons, and are affected by blood pressure changes, with the PBel-outer reacting to both hypo- and hypertension, and the PBcl signaling only hypotensive changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L. Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Mark M. Knuepfer
- Department of Pharmacological & Physiological Science, St. Louis University School of Medicine, 1402 S. Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Michelle H. Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - George O. Denny
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Paul A. Gray
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Arthur D. Loewy
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Liu LS, Shenoy M, Pasricha PJ. The analgesic effects of the GABAB receptor agonist, baclofen, in a rodent model of functional dyspepsia. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2011; 23:356-61, e160-1. [PMID: 21199535 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2982.2010.01649.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The amino acid γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important modulator of pain but its role in visceral pain syndromes is just beginning to be studied. Our aims were to investigate the effect and mechanism of action of the GABA(B) receptor agonist, baclofen, on gastric hypersensitivity in a validated rat model of functional dyspepsia (FD). METHODS 10-day-old male rats received 0.2 mL of 0.1% iodoacetamide in 2% sucrose daily by oral gavages for 6 days. Control group received 2% sucrose. At 8-10 weeks rats treated with baclofen (0.3, 1, and 3 mg kg(-1) bw) or saline were tested for behavioral and electromyographic (EMG) visceromotor responses; gastric spinal afferent nerve activity to graded gastric distention and Fos protein expression in dorsal horn of spinal cord segments T8-T10 to noxious gastric distention. KEY RESULTS Baclofen administration was associated with a significant attenuation of the behavioral and EMG responses (at 1 and 3 mg kg(-1)) and expression of Fos in T8 and T9 segments in neonatal iodoacetamide sensitized rats. However, baclofen administration did not significantly affect splanchnic nerve activity to gastric distention. Baclofen (3 mg kg(-1)) also significantly reduced the expression of spinal Fos in response to gastric distention in control rats to a lesser extent than sensitized rats. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES Baclofen is effective in attenuating pain associated responses in an experimental model of FD and appears to act by central mechanisms. These results provide a basis for clinical trials of this drug in FD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- L S Liu
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305-5187, USA
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Effect of chronic pain on morphine-induced respiratory depression in mice. Neuroscience 2010; 174:224-33. [PMID: 21081158 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 11/08/2010] [Accepted: 11/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Respiratory depression is the most well-known and dangerous side-effect of opioid analgesics. Clinical investigations have revealed that this opioid-induced respiratory depression is less severe in patients with chronic pain, but the mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon are unknown. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine the influence of chronic pain on morphine-induced respiratory depression. Respiration was detected by double-chamber, flow-through whole-body plethysmography. Respiratory frequency was dose-dependently and significantly decreased after morphine administration. This effect peaked at 30 min after administration and lasted 3 h. In contrast, tidal volume was increased. Minute volume was significantly decreased by morphine at a higher dose, but not a lower dose. In nerve-ligated mice, a morphine-induced decrease in respiratory frequency was observed, whereas the increase of tidal volume was more prominent. A decrease in minute volume was not observed in nerve-ligated mice. This attenuation of the morphine-induced decrease in minute volume in nerve-ligated mice was reversed by treatment with the serotonin (5-HT)4a receptor antagonist GR125487. Moreover, treatment with the 5-HT4 receptor agonist mosapride antagonized the morphine-induced decrease in minute volume, due to the enhancement of tidal volume. Finally, the expression of 5-HT4a receptor in the brainstem was enhanced in nerve-ligated mice compared to that in sham-operated mice. These results suggest that the decrease in morphine-induced respiratory depression under chronic pain is mediated by the enhancement of 5-HT4a receptor systems in the brainstem.
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Zagami CJ, Stifani S. Molecular characterization of the mouse superior lateral parabrachial nucleus through expression of the transcription factor Runx1. PLoS One 2010; 5:e13944. [PMID: 21085653 PMCID: PMC2978708 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2010] [Accepted: 10/18/2010] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The ability to precisely identify separate neuronal populations is essential to the understanding of the development and function of different brain structures. This necessity is particularly evident in regions such as the brainstem, where the anatomy is quite complex and little is known about the identity, origin, and function of a number of distinct nuclei due to the lack of specific cellular markers. In this regard, the gene encoding the transcription factor Runx1 has emerged as a specific marker of restricted neuronal populations in the murine central and peripheral nervous systems. The aim of this study was to precisely characterize the expression of Runx1 in the developing and postnatal mouse brainstem. Methods and Principal Findings Anatomical and immunohistochemical studies were used to characterize mouse Runx1 expression in the brainstem. It is shown here that Runx1 is expressed in a restricted population of neurons located in the dorsolateral rostral hindbrain. These neurons define a structure that is ventromedial to the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, dorsocaudal to the medial paralemniscal nucleus and rostral to the cerebellum. Runx1 expression in these cells is first observed at approximately gestational day 12.5, persists into the adult brain, and is lost in knockout mice lacking the transcription factor Atoh1, an important regulator of the development of neuronal lineages of the rhombic lip. Runx1-expressing neurons in the rostral hindbrain produce cholecystokinin and also co-express members of the Groucho/Transducin-like Enhancer of split protein family. Conclusion Based on the anatomical and molecular characteristics of the Runx1-expressing cells in the rostral hindbrain, we propose that Runx1 expression in this region of the mouse brain defines the superior lateral parabrachial nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrissandra J. Zagami
- Centre for Neuronal Survival, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Stefano Stifani
- Centre for Neuronal Survival, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Adedoyin MO, Vicini S, Neale JH. Endogenous N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) inhibits synaptic plasticity/transmission in the amygdala in a mouse inflammatory pain model. Mol Pain 2010; 6:60. [PMID: 20860833 PMCID: PMC3152775 DOI: 10.1186/1744-8069-6-60] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2010] [Accepted: 09/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The peptide neurotransmitter N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) is widely expressed throughout the vertebrate nervous system, including the pain processing neuraxis. Inhibitors of NAAG peptidases are analgesic in animal models of pain. However, the brain regions involved in NAAG's analgesic action have not been rigorously defined. Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3) play a role in pain processing in the laterocapsular part of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeLC). Given the high concentration of NAAG in the amygdala and its activation of group II mGluRs (mGluR3 > mGluR2), this study was undertaken using the mouse formalin model of inflammatory pain to test the hypothesis that NAAG influences pain processing in the amygdala. Evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) were studied in neurons in the CeLC of mouse brain slices following stimulation of the spinoparabrachial amygdaloid afferents. RESULTS Application of a NAAG peptidase inhibitor, ZJ43, dose dependently inhibited the amplitude of the eEPSCs by up to 50% in control CeLC demonstrating the role of NAAG in regulation of excitatory transmission at this synapse. A group II mGluR agonist (SLx-3095-1) similarly inhibited eEPSC amplitude by about 30%. Both effects were blocked by the group II mGluR antagonist LY341495. ZJ43 was much less effective than SLx in reducing eEPSCs 24 hours post inflammation suggesting an inflammation induced reduction in NAAG release or an increase in the ratio of mGluR2 to mGluR3 expression. Systemic injection of ZJ43 proximal to the time of inflammation blocked peripheral inflammation-induced increases in synaptic transmission of this pathway 24 hrs later and blocked the induction of mechanical allodynia that developed by this time point. CONCLUSIONS The main finding of this study is that NAAG and NAAG peptidase inhibition reduce excitatory neurotransmission and inflammation-induced plasticity at the spinoparabrachial synapse within the pain processing pathway of the central amygdaloid nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary O Adedoyin
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Biology Reiss Building 37th and O St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20057, USA
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Kiritoshi T, Ikeda H, Murase K. Long-term potentiation of neuronal excitation in the central nucleus of the rat amygdala revealed by imaging with a voltage-sensitive dye. Brain Res 2010; 1349:32-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2010] [Revised: 06/11/2010] [Accepted: 06/12/2010] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Frieboes LR, Palispis WA, Gupta R. Nerve compression activates selective nociceptive pathways and upregulates peripheral sodium channel expression in Schwann cells. J Orthop Res 2010; 28:753-61. [PMID: 20014316 DOI: 10.1002/jor.21047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Chronic nerve compression (CNC) injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, are common musculoskeletal conditions that affect patients with debilitating loss of sensory function and pain. Although early detection and treatment are important, our understanding of pain-related molecular mechanisms remains largely unclear. Here we investigate these mechanisms using an animal model for CNC injury. To confirm that CNC injury induces pain, we assessed expression of c-fos, a gene that is rapidly expressed in spinal sensory afferents in response to painful peripheral stimuli, and TNF-alpha and IL-6, two proinflammatory cytokines that are crucial to development of inflammatory-mediated pain. Results show c-fos upregulation 1-2 weeks postinjury in the absence of TNF-alpha or IL-6 expression, indicating increased neural sensitivity without an inflammatory response. This is consistent with previous studies that showed no morphologic evidence of inflammation in the CNC model. Surprisingly, we also found de novo expression of Na(V)1.8, a sodium channel linked to the development of neuropathic pain, in endoneurial Schwann cells following injury. Until now, Na(V)1.8 expression was thought to be restricted to sensory neurons. CNC injury appears to be a unique model of noninflammatory neuropathic pain. Further investigation of the underlying molecular basis could yield promising targets for early diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rummler Frieboes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, 2226 Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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Spinal c-Fos Protein Expression and Inflammatory Nociceptive Processes: Pharmacological Studies with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Their Associations in the Awake Rat. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1300/j094v07n01_08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Simon MJ, Zafra MA, Molina F, Puerto A. Consistent rewarding or aversive effects of the electrical stimulation of the lateral parabrachial complex. Behav Brain Res 2008; 190:67-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2007] [Revised: 01/31/2008] [Accepted: 02/04/2008] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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16
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Pinto M, Lima D, Tavares I. Neuronal activation at the spinal cord and medullary pain control centers after joint stimulation: a c-fos study in acute and chronic articular inflammation. Neuroscience 2007; 147:1076-89. [PMID: 17590519 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2007] [Revised: 05/15/2007] [Accepted: 05/18/2007] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Chronic inflammatory pain induces short- and long-term central changes, which have been mainly studied at the spinal cord level. Supraspinal pain control centers intrinsically connected with the dorsal horn are also prone to be affected by chronic inflammatory pain. C-fos expression was used as a neuronal activation marker at spinal and supraspinal levels to i) compare acute and chronic articular inflammation, and ii) analyze the effects of brief innocuous or noxious stimulation of a chronically inflamed joint. Acute articular inflammation was induced by an inflammatory soup with prostaglandin E(2) and bradykinin, both at 10(-5) M. Chronic articular inflammation consisted of 14 days of monoarthritis. Early c-fos expression was studied 4 min after inflammatory soup injection or stimulation of the arthritic joint whereas late c-fos expression was evaluated 2 h after those stimuli. At the spinal cord, the analysis was focused on the dorsal horn (laminae I-V) and supraspinally, five major regions of the endogenous pain control system were considered: the caudal ventrolateral medulla (VLM), the dorsal reticular nucleus (DRt), the ventral reticular nucleus (VRt), the nucleus of the solitary tract (Sol) and the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM). Acute articular inflammation induced early and late increases in c-fos expression at the spinal level and late increases supraspinally whereas the effects of monoarthritis were more moderate and restricted to the spinal cord. When monoarthritic animals were subjected to gentle touch or bending of the joint, early increases in c-fos expression were detected supraspinally, but not at the spinal level. In this region, noxious mechanical stimulation induced late increases in non-inflamed animals and both early and late increases in monoarthritic rats. Supraspinally, noxious stimulation induced only late increases in c-fos expression. The present results show complex differences in the patterns of c-fos expression between the spinal cord and medullary areas of the pain control system during articular inflammation, which indicate that the somatosensory system is differentially affected by the installation of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Pinto
- Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Alameda Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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17
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Jergova S, Kolesar D, Cizkova D. Expression of c-Fos in the parabrachial nucleus following peripheral nerve injury in rats. Eur J Pain 2007; 12:172-9. [PMID: 17553714 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2007.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2006] [Revised: 04/05/2007] [Accepted: 04/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in rats evokes c-Fos expression at spinal cord level. Using immunohistochemical methods we studied changes in c-Fos expression in the brain stem area, which is suggested as one of the major targets of projection neurons in the superficial dorsal horn laminae, i.e., the parabrachial area. During the first week following injury, the animals developed tactile allodynia. At this time we found an increase of c-Fos positive neurons in the parabrachial area, mainly in the pontine part where the group of c-Fos immunoreactive neurons was present in the dorsal part of lateral parabrachial subnuclei. The number of c-Fos positive neurons gradually decreased up to 14 days following CCI. The specific activation of brain stem neurons during onset of mechanical allodynia could underlie the changes in central nociceptive processing following peripheral nerve injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislava Jergova
- Institute of Neurobiology, Centre of Excellence, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Soltesovej 4, 04001 Kosice, Slovak Republic.
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18
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Seo YS, Lee IO. Effect of Intrathecal COX Inhibitors on Inflammatory Pain and c-Fos Expression in Central Nervous System Induced by Formalin Injection in Rat. Korean J Anesthesiol 2007. [DOI: 10.4097/kjae.2007.52.1.81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Young Sun Seo
- Department of Aneathesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Il Ok Lee
- Department of Aneathesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
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19
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Pinto M, Lima D, Tavares I. Correlation of noxious evoked c-fos expression in areas of the somatosensory system during chronic pain: Involvement of spino-medullary and intra-medullary connections. Neurosci Lett 2006; 409:100-5. [PMID: 17052848 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2006.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2006] [Revised: 08/03/2006] [Accepted: 08/14/2006] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Chronic pain induces functional alterations of the endogenous pain control system namely in the modulation of nociceptive transmission at the spinal cord. We used the c-fos expression as a tool to study correlated neuronal activation, induced by bending the inflamed paw of monoarthritic animals, between the spinal dorsal horn and medullary centers belonging to the endogenous pain control system, namely the lateralmost reticular formation of the ventrolateral medulla (VLMlat), the lateral reticular nucleus (LRt), the dorsal reticular nucleus (DRt), the nucleus tractus solitarius (Sol) and the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM). Awake monoarthritic rats were subjected to 4 min of paw bending followed by anaesthesia and perfusion either immediately or 2h later. The numbers of Fos immunoreactive neurons in the spinal dorsal horn and in the medulla oblongata were significantly correlated mainly immediately after stimulation: lamina I correlated with the VLMlat, LRt, Sol and RVM; lamina II correlated with the VLMlat, LRt and Sol; and laminae IV-V correlated with the VLMlat and LRt. Between medullary pain control centers significant correlations occurred immediately and 2h after bending at the VLMlat-Sol and LRt-Sol, at the VLMlat-LRt and VLMlat-RVM in animals perfused immediately, and at the VLMlat-DRt and LRt-RVM in animals perfused 2h later. These data demonstrate that the mobilization of a chronically inflamed paw triggers intense correlated neuronal activity in several areas of the somatosensory system, indicating functional relevant links in pain control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pinto
- Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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20
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Li JJ, Zhou X, Yu LC. Involvement of neuropeptide Y and Y1 receptor in antinociception in the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus, an immunohistochemical and pharmacological study in intact rats and rats with inflammation. Pain 2005; 118:232-42. [PMID: 16216414 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2005.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2005] [Revised: 08/04/2005] [Accepted: 08/18/2005] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays an important role in pain modulation at different levels in the central nervous system. In the brain, NPY and NPY receptors distribute abundantly in the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus (ARC), a structure involved in pain processing. The present study was undertaken to investigate the role of NPY in nociceptive modulation in the ARC of intact rats and rats with carrageenan-induced inflammation. Intra-ARC administration of NPY induced dose-dependent increases in hindpaw withdrawal latencies (HWLs) to thermal and mechanical stimulation in intact rats, which was attenuated by the Y1 receptor antagonist NPY28-36. Intra-ARC administration of NPY also induced dose-dependent increases in HWLs to noxious stimulation in rats with inflammation. Furthermore, intra-ARC injection of either the antiserum against NPY or NPY28-36 induced decreases in HWLs in rats with inflammation, while both of them produced no effects in intact ones. Additionally, there were marked increases of Y1 receptor in the bilateral ARC of rats with inflammation tested by immunohistochemistry, while no significant changes of NPY were observed, implicating that the increased Y1 receptor has an important effect in the NPY-induced antinociception. We also found that intra-ARC injection of Y2 receptor agonist NPY3-36 produced no significant antinociception in either intact rats or rats with inflammation. Together, we demonstrate that NPY exerts an antinociceptive effect in the ARC of intact rats and rats with inflammation. Both Y1 receptor and endogenous released NPY in the ARC are involved in the nociceptive modulation during inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Ju Li
- Neurobiology Laboratory and National Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
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21
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Richard S, Engblom D, Paues J, Mackerlova L, Blomqvist A. Activation of the parabrachio-amygdaloid pathway by immune challenge or spinal nociceptive input: a quantitative study in the rat using Fos immunohistochemistry and retrograde tract tracing. J Comp Neurol 2005; 481:210-9. [PMID: 15562506 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral nociceptive stimulation results in activation of neurons in the pontine parabrachial nucleus (PB) of rats. Electrophysiological studies have suggested that noxiously activated PB neurons project to the amygdala, constituting a potential pathway for emotional aspects of pain. In the present study we examined this hypothesis by combining retrograde tract tracing with Fos immunohistochemistry. Cholera toxin subunit B was injected into the amygdala of rats. After a minimum of 48 hours the rats were given a subcutaneous injection of 100 microl of 5% formalin into one hindpaw and killed 60-90 minutes later. A dense aggregation of retrogradely labeled neurons was seen in the external lateral PB. Fos-expressing neurons were present preferentially in the central, dorsal, and superior lateral subnuclei as well as in the lateral crescent area, as described previously. There was little overlap between the retrogradely labeled and Fos-expressing populations and double-labeled neurons were rare. In contrast, systemic immune challenge by intravenous injection of bacterial wall lipopolysaccharide resulted in a Fos expression that overlapped the retrograde labeling in the external lateral PB, and many double-labeled neurons were seen. While these data provide direct functional anatomical evidence that nociceptive information from the hindlimb is relayed to the amygdala via the parabrachial nucleus, the number of parabrachio-amygdaloid neurons involved is small. Considering the widespread activation of parabrachio-amygdaloid neurons by a variety of visceral and humoral stimuli, the parabrachio-amygdaloid pathway thus appears to be more involved in the mediation of information related to viscerally and humorally elicited activity than in transmission of spinal nociceptive inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Richard
- Station de Recherches Avicoles, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 37 380 Nouzilly, France
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22
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Jiang M, Alheid GF, Calandriello T, McCrimmon DR. Parabrachial-lateral pontine neurons link nociception and breathing. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2005; 143:215-33. [PMID: 15519557 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2004.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2004] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the role of the parabrachial complex in cutaneous nociceptor-induced respiratory stimulation in chloralose-urethane anesthetized, vagotomized rats. Noxious stimulation (mustard oil, MO) applied topically to a forelimb or hindlimb enhanced the peak amplitude of the integrated phrenic nerve discharge and, with forelimb application, increased phrenic nerve burst frequency. Bilateral inactivation of neural activity in the parabrachial complex with injection of the GABA agonist muscimol (3nl) markedly attenuated the response to MO application. Injection of the retrograde tracer FluoroGold within the medullary ventral respiratory column labeled neurons in dorsolateral pontine regions known to receive nociceptive inputs (i.e., Kolliker-Fuse, lateral crescent, and superior lateral subnuclei of the parabrachial complex). Extracellular recordings of 65 dorsolateral parabrachial neurons revealed about 15% responded to a noxious cutaneous pinch with either an increase or a decrease in discharge and approximately 40% of these exhibited a phasic respiratory-related component to their discharge. In conclusion, parabrachial pontine neurons contribute to cutaneous nociceptor-induced increases in breathing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingchen Jiang
- Department of Physiology and Institute for Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, M211, 303 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-3008, USA
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23
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Gao YJ, Ren WH, Zhang YQ, Zhao ZQ. Contributions of the anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala to pain- and fear-conditioned place avoidance in rats. Pain 2004; 110:343-53. [PMID: 15275785 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2004.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2003] [Revised: 03/09/2004] [Accepted: 04/12/2004] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The pain experience includes a sensory-discriminative and an affective-emotional component. The sensory component of pain has been extensively studied, while data about the negative affective component of pain are quite limited. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and amygdala are thought to be key neural substrates underlying emotional responses. Using formalin-induced conditioned place avoidance (F-CPA) and electric foot-shock conditioned place avoidance (S-CPA) models, the present study observed the effects of bilateral excitotoxic (quinolinic acid 200 nmol/microl) lesions of the ACC and amygdala on pain and fear induced negative emotion, as well as on sensory component of pain. In the place-conditioning paradigm, both intraplantar (i.pl.) injection of formalin and electric foot-shock produced conditioned place avoidance. Excitotoxin-induced lesion of either the ACC or amygdala significantly reduced the magnitude of F-CPA. However, the decrease in the magnitude of S-CPA occurred only in the amygdala, but not ACC lesioned animals. Neither ACC nor amygdala lesion significantly changed formalin-induced acute nociceptive behaviors. These results suggest that the amygdala is involved in both pain- and fear-related negative emotion, and the ACC might play a critical role in the expression of pain-related negative emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Jing Gao
- Institute of Neurobiology, Fudan University, 220 Han Dan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
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24
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Han JS, Bird GC, Neugebauer V. Enhanced group III mGluR-mediated inhibition of pain-related synaptic plasticity in the amygdala. Neuropharmacology 2004; 46:918-26. [PMID: 15081788 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2004.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2003] [Revised: 10/25/2003] [Accepted: 01/07/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Pain has a strong emotional component. A key player in emotionality, the amygdala is also involved in pain processing. Our previous studies showed synaptic plasticity in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in a model of arthritic pain. Here, we address the role of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in the regulation of synaptic transmission in CeA neurons. Whole-cell current- and voltage-clamp recordings were made from neurons in the latero-capsular part of the CeA in brain slices from control rats and arthritic rats (>6 h postinduction). The latero-capsular part of the CeA is the target of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway and is now designated as the "nociceptive amygdala". Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were evoked by electrical stimulation of afferents from the pontine parabrachial (PB) area. LAP4 decreased the amplitude of EPSCs more potently in CeA neurons from arthritic rats (EC(50)=1.2 nM) than in control animals (EC(50)=11.5 nM). The inhibitory effect of LAP4 was reversed by a selective group III mGluR antagonist (UBP1112). During the application of LAP4, paired-pulse facilitation was increased, while no significant changes in slope conductance and action potential firing rate of CeA neurons were observed. These data suggest that presynaptic group III mGluRs are involved in the regulation of synaptic plasticity in the amygdala in an arthritis pain model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong S Han
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences and Marine Biomedical Institute, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-1069, USA
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25
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Almeida TF, Roizenblatt S, Tufik S. Afferent pain pathways: a neuroanatomical review. Brain Res 2004; 1000:40-56. [PMID: 15053950 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2003.10.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/23/2003] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Painful experience is a complex entity made up of sensory, affective, motivational and cognitive dimensions. The neural mechanisms involved in pain perception acts in a serial and a parallel way, discriminating and locating the original stimulus and also integrating the affective feeling, involved in a special situation, with previous memories. This review examines the concepts of nociception, acute and chronic pain, and also describes the afferent pathways involved in reception, segmental processing and encephalic projection of pain stimulus. The interaction model of the cerebral cortex areas and their functional characteristics are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana F Almeida
- Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Napoleão de Barros, 925. Vila Clementino, 04024-002, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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26
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Khanna S, Chang LS, Jiang F, Koh HC. Nociception-driven decreased induction of Fos protein in ventral hippocampus field CA1 of the rat. Brain Res 2004; 1004:167-76. [PMID: 15033432 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2004.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/07/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
To test the hypothesis that the hippocampus field CA1 is recruited in nociceptive intensity-dependent fashion in the formalin model of inflammatory pain, we determined the effect of injection of formalin (0.625-2.5%) on the induction of Fos protein along the length of the hippocampus. Compared to injection of saline, injection of formalin (0.625-2.5%) evoked a concentration-dependent increase in nociceptive behavior and a significant linear increase in the number of Fos-positive cells in the spinal cord, especially in the deeper laminae. Injection of saline also increased induction of Fos along the length of hippocampus. On the other hand, injection of formalin decreased the number of Fos-positive cells in whole CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus, with a greater significant effect in the posterior-ventral regions of the hippocampus. Indeed, a formalin concentration-dependent decrease was observed in the ventral CA1. A systematic pattern of change in Fos induction was not observed in the medial septum region. Of the regions examined, only the formalin-induced changes in Fos cell counts in the posterior and ventral CA1 were tightly correlated with the changes observed in the spinal cord. The foregoing findings suggest that nociceptive information is processed in distributed fashion by the hippocampus, and at least the ventral CA1 is implicated in nociceptive intensity-dependent integrative functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Khanna
- Department of Physiology (MD9), National University of Singapore, 2 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore.
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27
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Bon K, Wilson SG, Mogil JS, Roberts WJ. Genetic evidence for the correlation of deep dorsal horn Fos protein immunoreactivity with tonic formalin pain behavior. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2003; 3:181-9. [PMID: 14622771 DOI: 10.1054/jpai.2002.123710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The formalin test is commonly used as a model of persistent pain. Besides producing pain behavior, hind paw formalin injection induces the expression of the immediate-early gene, c-fos. A current controversy is whether noxious stimulus-induced Fos protein immunoreactivity can be considered a proxy (biomarker) of nociception in the spinal cord. We investigated this issue by exploiting our recent demonstration of genotype-dependent behavioral differences in response to formalin injection among inbred mouse strains. Accordingly, 6 inbred and 2 outbred strains were administered formalin (5% in 25 microL) into the ventral hind paw, monitored for licking behavior, and then sacrificed at 90 minutes after injection for Fos protein immunocytochemistry. Significant strain differences were observed in both licking behavior and Fos counts in superficial and deep laminae. We observed a significant correlation among strains between licking behavior in the late phase (10 to 60 minutes) of the formalin test and Fos expression in laminae V-VI (but not laminae I-II) of the dorsal horn (r = 0.94). These findings reinforce the use of the Fos technique to study the neuronal processing underlying pain but suggest that Fos labeling reliably reflects tonic pain behavior only in neurons located in the neck of the dorsal horn in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Bon
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
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28
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Bourgeais L, Gauriau C, Monconduit L, Villanueva L, Bernard JF. Dendritic domains of nociceptive-responsive parabrachial neurons match terminal fields of lamina I neurons in the rat. J Comp Neurol 2003; 464:238-56. [PMID: 12898615 DOI: 10.1002/cne.10793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates, in the anesthetized rat, the dendritic extent of parabrachial (PB) neurons whose nociceptive response to noxious stimuli has been previously recorded with an extracellular micropipette. The PB neurons were then injected with biocytin through the recording micropipette, via a juxtacellular technique. The dendritic arborization of individual PB neurons was carefully compared with the projections of medullary (trigeminal) and spinal lamina I neurons. The latter projections were labeled in separate animals that received injections of Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin restricted to the superficial layers of spinal or medullary dorsal horn. We report here that: 1) PB neurons excited chiefly by noxious stimulation of the face have their dendritic tree located primarily within the field of lamina I trigeminal projections, i.e., in the caudal portion of PB area, around the external medial and the caudal part of the external lateral subnuclei; and 2) PB neurons excited chiefly by noxious stimulation of the paw or the tail have their dendritic tree located primarily within the field of lamina I spinal projections, i.e., in PB mid-extent, around the borderline between the external lateral and both the lateral crescent and the superior lateral subnuclei. Our results suggest the presence of an extensive excitatory axodendritic link between lamina I projections and PB nociceptive neurons around the lateral crescent and the external medial subnuclei. These findings strengthen the possibility of involvement of a subgroup of PB neurons in nociceptive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Bourgeais
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U-161, F-75014 Paris, France
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29
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Neugebauer V, Li W. Differential sensitization of amygdala neurons to afferent inputs in a model of arthritic pain. J Neurophysiol 2003; 89:716-27. [PMID: 12574449 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00799.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain is associated with negative affect such as anxiety and depression. The amygdala plays a key role in emotionality and has been shown to undergo neuroplastic changes in models of affective disorders. Many neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) are driven by nociceptive inputs, but the role of the amygdala in persistent pain states is not known. This study is the first to address nociceptive processing by CeA neurons in a model of prolonged pain. Extracellular single-unit recordings were made from 41 CeA neurons in anesthetized rats. Each neuron's responses to brief mechanical stimulation of joints, muscles, and skin and to cutaneous thermal stimuli were recorded. Background activity, receptive field size, and threshold were mapped, and stimulus-response functions were constructed. These parameters were measured repeatedly before and after induction of arthritis in one knee by intraarticular injections of kaolin and carrageenan. Multireceptive (MR) amygdala neurons (n = 20) with excitatory input from the knee joint responded more strongly to noxious than to innocuous mechanical stimuli of deep tissue (n = 20) and skin (n = 11). After induction of arthritis, 18 of 20 MR neurons developed enhanced responses to mechanical stimuli and expansion of receptive field size. These changes occurred with a biphasic time course (early peak: 1-1.5 h; persistent plateau phase: after 3-4 h). Responses to thermal stimuli did not change (7 of 7 neurons), but background activity (16 of 18 neurons) and electrically evoked orthodromic activity (11 of 12 neurons) increased in the arthritic state. Nociceptive-specific (NS) neurons (n = 13) showed no changes of their responses to mechanical, thermal, and electrical stimulation after induction of arthritis. A third group of neurons did not respond to somesthetic stimuli under control conditions (noSOM neurons; n = 8) but developed prolonged responses to mechanical, but not thermal, stimuli in arthritis (5 of 8 neurons). These data suggest that prolonged pain is accompanied by enhanced responsiveness of a subset of CeA neurons. Their sensitization to mechanical, but not thermal, stimuli argues against a nonspecific state of hyperexcitability. MR neurons could serve to integrate and evaluate information in the context of prolonged pain. Recruitment of noSOM neurons increases the gain of amygdala processing. NS neurons preserve the distinction between nociceptive and nonnociceptive inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Neugebauer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences and Marine Biomedical Institute, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1069, USA.
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30
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Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala in a model of arthritic pain: differential roles of metabotropic glutamate receptors 1 and 5. J Neurosci 2003. [PMID: 12514201 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.23-01-00052.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain has a strong emotional-affective dimension, and the amygdala plays a key role in emotionality. Mechanisms of pain-related changes in the amygdala were studied at the cellular and molecular levels in a model of arthritis pain. The influence of the arthritic condition induced in vivo on synaptic transmission and group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR1 and mGluR5) function was examined in vitro using whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings of neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). G-protein-coupled mGluRs are implicated in various forms of neuroplasticity as well as in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Synaptic transmission was evoked by electrical stimulation of afferents from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the pontine parabrachial (PB) area in brain slices from control (untreated or saline-injected) rats and from arthritic rats. This study shows enhanced synaptic transmission of nociceptive-specific inputs (PB-->CeA synapse) and polymodal sensory inputs (BLA-->CeA synapse) in the arthritis model. CeA neurons from arthritic rats also developed increased excitability compared with control CeA neurons. Synaptic plasticity in the CeA was accompanied by increased presynaptic mGluR1 function and upregulation of mGluR1 and mGluR5. A selective mGluR1 antagonist reduced transmission in CeA neurons from arthritic animals but not in control neurons, and increased levels of mGluR1 and mGluR5 protein were measured in the CeA of arthritic rats compared with controls. Our results show that plastic changes in the amygdala in an arthritis model that produces prolonged pain involve a critical switch of presynaptic mGluR1 expression and function.
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31
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Künzle H, Radtke-Schuller S, von Stebut B. Parabrachio-cortical connections with the lateral hemisphere in the madagascan hedgehog tenrec: prominent projections to layer 1, weak projections from layer 6. Brain Res Bull 2002; 57:705-19. [PMID: 11927376 DOI: 10.1016/s0361-9230(01)00784-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The present study was undertaken to further characterize and subdivide the rhinal cortex (insular and perirhinal areas) in the hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi), a placental mammal with a rather low encephalisation index. Injections of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase into the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum revealed a prominent layer 1 projection to several rhinal target areas, while the rhinal cortex only stained weakly for the calcitonin gene-related peptide. Among the regions retrogradely labeled following tracer injections into the rhinal cortex, the parabrachial nucleus was considered the main origin of the tegmento-cortical projection. This conclusion was based on the circumscribed pattern of termination, as well as the differences noted between the pattern of anterograde labeling and the pattern obtained by thyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. The tracer injections into the dorsolateral tegmentum also revealed numerous retrogradely labeled cells in the layer 5 of the dorsomedial frontal cortex. In contrast, the rhinal cortex only showed few labeled cells and most of these cells were located in the layer 6/7. A comparison with other species indicates that the tenrec's parabrachial nucleus gives rise to the most extensive cortical projections but receives the least prominent input from the lateral cerebral hemisphere. The layer 6/7 projection may be a common mammalian feature but it is overshadowed by the layer 5 projection in higher mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinz Künzle
- Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig Maximilians University, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, D-80336 Munich, Germany.
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Traub RJ, Murphy A. Colonic inflammation induces fos expression in the thoracolumbar spinal cord increasing activity in the spinoparabrachial pathway. Pain 2002; 95:93-102. [PMID: 11790471 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3959(01)00381-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The descending colon and rectum are innervated by primary afferent fibers projecting to the lumbosacral and thoracolumbar spinal cord segments. Previous work from this laboratory has suggested that afferent input and sensory processing in the lumbosacral spinal cord is necessary and sufficient to mediate reflex responses to transient colorectal stimulation while processing in both the lumbosacral and thoracolumbar spinal cord segments contribute to visceral hyperalgesia. In the rat, repetitive noxious colorectal distention (CRD) induces >200 Fos labeled cells per section in the lumbosacral segments, but few in the thoracolumbar segments, further suggesting that transient colonic nociceptive input is transduced primarily in the lumbosacral spinal cord. The laminar distribution of this CRD-induced Fos suggests some of these neurons project to the parabrachial nucleus (PBn), an important relay for visceroceptive input from the spinal cord to higher order centers for nociceptive processing. In this study, two hypotheses were tested: first, inflammation of the colon prior to CRD would induce Fos expression in neurons in the thoracolumbar spinal cord segments and increase the number of neurons in the lumbosacral spinal cord segments that express Fos in response to noxious CRD; and second, the inflammation-induced increase in Fos expression in the spinal cord would be partially manifest as an increase in the number of spinoparabrachial projection neurons that respond to CRD. The retrograde tracer Fluorogold (FG) was injected unilaterally into the PBn of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Ten to 14 days later the rat's colon was either distended or inflamed and distended. Sections from the T13-L2 and L6-S2 spinal cord segments were double labeled using antibodies directed against FG and Fos protein. The results show that: (1) colonic inflammation plus distention induced Fos expression in the thoracolumbar spinal cord and increased Fos expression in the lumbosacral spinal cord compared to distention alone. In the lumbosacral cord, the increase in Fos expression was localized primarily to the superficial dorsal horn (SDH). In the thoracolumbar spinal segments, Fos was induced primarily in the SDH and the area around the central canal. (2) Injection of FG into the PBn produced dense retrograde labeling in the SDH, the lateral deeper gray matter and the area around the central canal at the lumbosacral and thoracolumbar levels. (3) In the lumbosacral spinal cord, 30-40% of the FG labeled cells double labeled for Fos. Colonic inflammation plus CRD did not significantly increase the percentage of spinoparabrachial neurons that were labeled for Fos compared to distention alone. (4) In the thoracolumbar spinal cord less than 10% of the FG labeled neurons were double labeled for Fos following CRD, but 25% of the FG labeled neurons in the SDH were double labeled following colonic inflammation. These data support the hypothesis that colonic inflammation activates viscerosensory processing in the thoracolumbar spinal cord and further suggests that this information is relayed to the PBn. The increase in information reaching the PBn over these parallel pathways may contribute to the affective-motivational component of the pain experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Traub
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Biological Sciences, Dental School, University of Maryland, 666 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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Künzle H, Radtke-Schuller S. Oligosynaptic pathways possibly relaying visceral and/or gustatory information to the olfactory bulb in the hedgehog tenrec. Neurosci Lett 2001; 303:53-6. [PMID: 11297822 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(01)01714-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Using anterograde and retrograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin we showed that the parabrachial nucleus, known to receive second order visceral and gustatory afferents, might project directly to the anterior olfactory nucleus which is connected with the olfactory bulb (OfB). Only a small bulbar region is targeted directly by parabrachial fibers. This region is located immediately adjacent to the accessory OfB and may be closely related to, if not identical with the modified glomerular complex. To further substantiate the presence of true parabrachio-bulbar projections thyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry was employed. The absence of immunoreactive neurons in the parabrachial nucleus and the different distribution patterns of immunoreactive fibers and axons labeled with wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase in the target areas make it unlikely that catecholaminergic fibers were involved in the projections shown.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Künzle
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, D-80336 Munich, Germany.
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Buritova J, Besson JM. Urethane anaesthesia could partly mask antinociceptive effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: a spinal c-Fos protein study. Brain Res 2001; 891:281-4. [PMID: 11164833 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(00)03254-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Urethane anaesthesia strongly reduced the peripheral edema (31+/-5 and 96+/-8% reduction of carrageenan-enhanced paw and ankle diameters, respectively; P<0.001 for both) and the spinal c-Fos protein expression (71+/-4% reduction of the number of c-Fos protein-labeled nuclei; P<0.001), 3 h after intraplantar injection of carrageenan in rats. In urethane anaesthetised rats, i.v. injection of racemic-flurbiprofen (0.3, 3 and 9 mg/kg) has weaker effects on carrageenan-evoked spinal c-Fos protein expression and peripheral edema than those previously described in the same inflammatory nociceptive model in awake rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Buritova
- Unité de Recherches de Physiopharmacologie du Système Nerveux, INSERM U161 and EPHE, 2 rue d'Alésia, F-75014, Paris, France.
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Lu Y, Westlund KN. Effects of baclofen on colon inflammation-induced Fos, CGRP and SP expression in spinal cord and brainstem. Brain Res 2001; 889:118-30. [PMID: 11166695 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(00)03124-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The present study demonstrates sites of expression for Fos protein in the brainstem and lumbosacral spinal cord of rats subjected to mustard oil irritation of the colon. The protective effect of baclofen, a selective GABA(B) receptor agonist, on the induced Fos protein increases was determined. Mustard oil injected into the lumen of the colon produces an acute site-specific inflammation. Immunocytochemical localization of Fos protein in neuronal nuclei was evident after 1 h, was greatest at 2 h and was still evident but declining at 8 h. In the spinal cord the majority of Fos labeled neurons were localized in the superficial laminae of lumbar (L6) cord with more found in the sacral (S1) cord. Some labeled neurons were also found in the deeper spinal laminae, intermediolateral nucleus and around lamina X. Brainstem sites expressing Fos included the nucleus of the solitary tract in the medulla, parabrachial, locus coeruleus, pontine and caudal dorsal raphe nuclei and periaqueductal gray. Weak Fos protein labeling existed in a few cells in vehicle control animals. Systemic administration of the GABA(B) receptor agonist, baclofen (10 mg/kg, i.p.), significantly reduced Fos expression in the spinal cord after mustard oil treatment but significantly increased the relative number of nuclei labeled in the nucleus of the solitary tract. Baclofen also significantly decreases dorsal horn CGRP immunoreactivity relative to the increased levels seen after inflammation of the colon. The SP content increases observed after inflammation of the colon were not altered by baclofen. These data suggest that: (1) neurons in regions important for nociceptive transmission, descending inhibitory control and autonomic control are activated by noxious stimulation of the colon, and (2) baclofen specifically reduces Fos expression in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord induced by nociceptive afferent input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Lu
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience and The Marine Biomedical Institute, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555-1069, USA
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Bester H, Beggs S, Woolf CJ. Changes in tactile stimuli-induced behavior and c-Fos expression in the superficial dorsal horn and in parabrachial nuclei after sciatic nerve crush. J Comp Neurol 2000; 428:45-61. [PMID: 11058224 DOI: 10.1002/1096-9861(20001204)428:1<45::aid-cne5>3.0.co;2-a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn are dominated by input from peripheral nociceptors. Following peripheral nerve injury, low threshold mechanoreceptive Abeta-fibers sprout from their normal termination site in laminae III/IV into laminae I-II and this structural reorganization may contribute to neuropathic tactile pain hypersensitivity. We have now investigated whether a sciatic nerve crush injury alters the behavioral response in rats to tactile stimuli and whether this is associated with a change in the pattern of c-Fos expression in the dorsal horn and the parabrachial area of the brainstem. Sciatic nerve crush resulted in a patchy but marked tactile allodynia manifesting first at 3 weeks and persisting for up to 52 weeks. C-Fos expression in the dorsal horn and parabrachial region was never observed on brushing the skin of the sciatic nerve territory in animals with intact nerves, but was found after sciatic nerve crush with peripheral regeneration. We conclude that after nerve injury, low threshold mechanoreceptor fibers may play a major role in producing pain-related behavior by activating normally nociceptive-specific regions of the central nervous system such as the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn and the parabrachial area.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bester
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
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Pritchard TC, Hamilton RB, Norgren R. Projections of the parabrachial nucleus in the old world monkey. Exp Neurol 2000; 165:101-17. [PMID: 10964489 DOI: 10.1006/exnr.2000.7450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The efferent projections of the pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN) were examined in the Old World monkey (Macaca fascicularis) using tritiated amino acid autoradiography and horseradish peroxidase histochemistry. Parabrachiofugal fibers ascended to the forebrain along three pathways: the central tegmental tract, the ventral ascending catecholaminergic pathway, and a pathway located on the midline between the medial longitudinal fasciculi. The PBN projected heavily to the central nucleus of the amygdala and the lateral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and moderately to the ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra. Light terminal label also was present within the dorsomedial, ventromedial, lateral, supramammillary, and infundibular nuclei of the hypothalamus and the annular nucleus and the dorsal raphe nucleus within the brain stem. The overall pattern of terminal label was similar to that previously reported for nonprimate species, but several differences were notable. In monkey the projection to the ventrobasal thalamus did not coincide with the region that contains gustatory-responsive neurons. In rats, these parabrachiothalamic fibers convey gustatory activity but in the monkey these fibers may carry visceral afferent information. The projections from the PBN to the hypothalamus in the monkey were neither as widespread nor as intense as in the rat, and the monkey lacks a projection from the PBN to the frontal and insular cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- T C Pritchard
- Department of Behavioral Science, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
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Byers MR, Chudler EH, Iadarola MJ. Chronic tooth pulp inflammation causes transient and persistent expression of Fos in dynorphin-rich regions of rat brainstem. Brain Res 2000; 861:191-207. [PMID: 10760482 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(00)01936-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We have analyzed central Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) brainstems of adult rats after three clinically relevant dental injuries: filled dentin (DF) cavities that cause mild pulp injury and heal within 1-2 weeks; open pulp exposures (PX) that cause gradual pulp loss and subsequent periodontal lesions; and filled pulp exposures (PXF). By 1 week after DF cavities, no Fos-IR remained except for sites such as lateral-ventral periolivary nucleus (LVPO) that had Fos-IR in all rats including controls. PX injury induced (1) a delayed transient expression of Fos at 1-2 weeks at three loci (ipsilateral neurons in dorsomedial nucleus oralis, paratrigeminal nucleus, and trigeminal tract), (2) persistent ipsilateral Fos for at least 4 weeks after injury in dynorphin (Dyn)-rich regions (rostral lateral solitary nucleus, periobex dorsal nucleus caudalis), and (3) late Fos-IR at 2-4 weeks (bilateral superficial cervical dorsal horn, contralateral dorsal nucleus caudalis, contralateral rostral lateral solitary nucleus). Rats with PXF injury were examined at 2 weeks, and they had greater numbers and more extensive rostro-caudal distribution of Fos neurons than the PX group. One week after PX injury, Fos-IR neurons were found in regions with strong Dyn-IR central fibers. Co-expression of Dyn and Fos was found in some unusually large neurons of the ipsilateral rostral lateral solitary nucleus, trigeminal tract, and dorsal nucleus caudalis. Immunocytochemistry for the p75 low affinity neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) or for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) showed no consistent change in trigeminal central endings in any Fos-reactive brainstem areas, despite the extensive structural and cytochemical reorganization of the peripheral endings of the dental neurons. The Fos responses of central neurons to tooth injury have some unusual temporal and spatial patterns in adult rats compared to other trigeminal injury models.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Byers
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-6540, USA.
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Bester H, Chapman V, Besson JM, Bernard JF. Physiological properties of the lamina I spinoparabrachial neurons in the rat. J Neurophysiol 2000; 83:2239-59. [PMID: 10758132 DOI: 10.1152/jn.2000.83.4.2239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Single-unit extracellular recordings of spino-parabrachial (spino-PB) neurons (n = 53) antidromically driven from the contralateral parabrachial (PB) area were performed in the lumbar cord in anesthetized rats. All the spino-PB neurons were located in the lamina I of the dorsal horn. Their axons exhibited conduction velocities between 2.8 and 27.8 m/s, in the thin myelinated fibers range. They had an extremely low spontaneous activity (median = 0. 064 Hz) and a small excitatory receptive field (</=2 toes or pads). They were all activated by both peripheral A (mainly Adelta) and C fibers after intense transcutaneous electrical stimulation. Their discharge always increased in response to noxious natural stimuli of increasing intensities. The great majority (75%) of spino-PB neurons were nociceptive specific, i.e., they were excited only by noxious stimuli. The remaining (25%) still were excited primarily by noxious stimuli but also responded moderately to innocuous stimuli. Almost all spino-PB neurons (92%, 49/53) were activated by both mechanical and heat noxious stimuli. Among them, 35% were in addition moderately activated by noxious cold (thresholds between +20 and -10 degrees C). Only (8%, 4/53) responded exclusively to noxious heat. Spino-PB neurons clearly encoded the intensity of mechanical (n = 39) and thermal (n = 38) stimuli in the noxious range, and most of the individual stimulus-response functions were monotonic and positive up to 40/60 N. cm(-2) and 50 degrees C, respectively. For the mechanical modality, the mean threshold was 11.5 +/- 1.25 N. cm(-2) (mean +/- SE), the response increased almost linearly with the logarithm of the pressure between 10 and 60 N. cm(-2), the mean p(50) (pressure evoking 50% of the maximum response) and the maximum responsiveness were: 30 +/- 2.4 N. cm(-2) and 40.5 +/- 5 Hz, respectively. For the thermal modality, the mean threshold was 43.6 +/- 0.5 degrees C, the mean curve had a general sigmoid aspect, the steepest portion being in the 46-48 degrees C interval, the mean t(50) and the maximum responsiveness were: 47.4 +/- 0.3 degrees C and 40 +/- 4.4 Hz, respectively. Most of the spino-PB neurons tested (13/16) had their noxiously evoked responses clearly inhibited by heterotopic noxious stimuli. The mean response to noxious stimuli during heterotopic stimuli was 31.7 +/- 6.1% of the control response. We conclude that the nociceptive properties of the lamina I spino-PB neurons are reflected largely by those of PB neurons that were suggested to be involved in autonomic and emotional/aversive aspects of pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bester
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U.161, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, F-75014 Paris, France
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WANG CHIACHUAN, WILLIS WILLIAMD, WESTLUND KARINN. Ascending projections from the area around the spinal cord central canal: A Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin study in rats. J Comp Neurol 1999; 415:341-67. [PMID: 10553119 PMCID: PMC7875518 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19991220)415:3<341::aid-cne3>3.0.co;2-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
A single small iontophoretic injection of Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin labels projections from the area surrounding the spinal cord central canal at midthoracic (T6-T9) or lumbosacral (L6-S1) segments of the spinal cord. The projections from the midthoracic or lumbosacral level of the medial spinal cord are found: 1) ascending ipsilaterally in the dorsal column near the dorsal intermediate septum or the midline of the gracile fasciculus, respectively; 2) terminating primarily in the dorsal, lateral rim of the gracile nucleus and the medial rim of the cuneate nucleus or the dorsomedial rim of the gracile nucleus, respectively; and 3) ascending bilaterally with slight contralateral predominance in the ventrolateral quadrant of the spinal cord and terminating in the ventral and medial medullary reticular formation. Other less dense projections are to the pons, midbrain, thalamus, hypothalamus, and other forebrain structures. Projections arising from the lumbosacral level are also found in Barrington's nucleus. The results of the present study support previous retrograde tract tracing and physiological studies from our group demonstrating that the neurons in the area adjacent to the central canal of the midthoracic or lumbosacral level of the spinal cord send long ascending projections to the dorsal column nucleus that are important in the transmission of second-order afferent information for visceral nociception. Thus, the axonal projections through both the dorsal and the ventrolateral white matter from the CC region terminate in many regions of the brain providing spinal input for sensory integration, autonomic regulation, motor and emotional responses, and limbic activation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - KARIN N. WESTLUND
- Correspondence to: Karin N. Westlund High, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Member, Marine Biomedical Institute, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1069.
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Catheline G, Le Guen S, Besson JM. Effects of U-69,593, a kappa-opioid receptor agonist, on carrageenin-induced peripheral oedema and Fos expression in the rat spinal cord. Eur J Pharmacol 1999; 370:287-96. [PMID: 10334505 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-2999(99)00153-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
In an attempt to study the anti-inflammatory and the antinociceptive effects of a kappa1-opioid receptor agonist (U-69,593: trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[7-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cycloexil]benzene acetamide methanesulfonate), we used a combination of the measurement of peripheral oedema (with a calliper) and Fos immunodetection in the carrageenin model of inflammation. The intraplantar injection of carrageenin-induced the development of a peripheral oedema, associated with an increase in Fos-like immunoreactivity at the level of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. U-69,593 administered intravenously (i.v.) 10 min before carrageenin administration over the dose range 0.75, 1.5 and 3 mg/kg, reduced both paw and ankle oedema in a non dose-dependent manner. The maximal decrease was observed at the highest dose and did not exceed 21% and 20% for the paw and the ankle respectively. These effects were kappa-opioid receptor specific since the anti-inflammatory effect of 1.5 mg/kg i.v. of U-69,593 was antagonised by a specific kappa-opioid receptor antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. Pre-treatment with U-69,593 strongly decreased the number of Fos-like Immunoreactive neurones of the spinal cord in a dose-dependent, antagonist reversible manner; maximal effect was 65%. The disparate results between the anti-inflammatory effects and the depressive effects on Fos expression suggest that anti-inflammatory effects of kappa-opioid receptor agonist are of minor importance for the antinociceptive effects of this compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Catheline
- Unité de Recherche de Physiopharmacologie du Système Nerveux, I.N.S.E.R.M. U 161 and E.P.H.E., Paris, France.
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Hayakawa T, Zheng JQ, Seki M. Direct parabrachial nuclear projections to the pharyngeal motoneurons in the rat: an anterograde and retrograde double-labeling study. Brain Res 1999; 816:364-74. [PMID: 9878830 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(98)01127-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The parabrachial nucleus consists of several subnuclei which contains autonomic, gustatory, visceral sensory, nociceptive, and respiratory related neurons. We have investigated the direct projections from the rat parabrachial region, including the K olliker-Fuse nucleus, to the pharyngeal motoneurons with an anterograde and retrograde double-tracing technique. The cholera toxin subunit-B was injected into the lower pharynx or the esophagus after injection of biotinylated dextran amine into the ventrolateral parabrachial nuclear region, including the external medial, the external lateral, and the crescent area of the central lateral parabrachial nuclei and into the Kölliker-Fuse nucleus. The anterogradely dextran amine-labeled fibers from these nuclei projected to the semicompact, loose and external formations besides the compact formation of the nucleus ambiguus. Many anterogradely labeled fibers and terminals were found to contact retrogradely cholera toxin-labeled pharyngeal neuronal soma and dendrites in the semicompact formation of the nucleus ambiguus. The medial half of the parabrachial nucleus, including the medial and the medial part of the central lateral parabrachial nuclei, sent a few fibers to the reticular formation just dorsal to the esophageal motoneurons but no fibers to either the pharyngeal or to the esophageal motoneurons. These results suggested that the visceral sensory, gustatory, nociceptive or respiratory related neurons in the parabrachial nucleus project directly to the pharyngeal motoneurons, but there are no parabrachial projections to the esophageal motoneurons in the nucleus ambiguus.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Hayakawa
- Department of Anatomy, Hyogo College of Medicine, Mukogawa, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan.
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Buritova J, Besson JM. Peripheral and/or central effects of racemic-, S(+)- and R(-)-flurbiprofen on inflammatory nociceptive processes: a c-Fos protein study in the rat spinal cord. Br J Pharmacol 1998; 125:87-101. [PMID: 9776348 PMCID: PMC1565603 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0702053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
1. We have evaluated the effects of intravenous or intraplantar racemic-, S(+)- and R(-)-flurbiprofen on both the carrageenan-evoked peripheral oedema and spinal c-Fos immunoreactivity, an indirect index of neurons involved in spinal nociceptive processes. 2. Three hours after intraplantar injection of carrageenan (6 mg in 150 microl of saline) in awake rats, a peripheral oedema and numerous c-Fos protein-like immunoreactive (c-Fos-LI) neurons in L4 L5 segments were observed. c-Fos-LI neurons were essentially located in the superficial (I-II) and deep (V-VI) laminae of the dorsal horn. 3. Intravenous racemic-flurbiprofen (0.3, 3 and 9 mg kg(-1)) dose-relatedly reduced the carrageenan-evoked oedema and spinal c-Fos expression (r=0.64, r=0.88 and r=0.84 for paw diameter, ankle diameter and number of c-Fos-LI neurons; P<0.05. P<0.001 and P<0.001 respectively). 4. Similar effects to those of intravenous racemic-flurbiprofen were obtained with intravenous S(+)-flurbiprofen (0.3, 3 and 9 mg kg(-1)) which dose-relatedly reduced the number of c-Fos-LI neurons (r=0.69, P<0.01) and diameters of paw and ankle (r=0.56 and r=0.52 respectively, P<0.05 for both). 5. For the dose of 0.3 mg kg(-1) i.v., R(-)-flurbiprofen did not modify the number of c-Fos-LI neurons and produced a weak reduction of oedema at only the ankle level (23+/-12% reduction, P<0.05). However, a ten times higher dose of R(-)-flurbiprofen (3 mg kg(-1) i.v.) was necessary to obtain effects comparable to those of S(+)- or racemic-flurbiprofen (0.3 mg kg(-1) i.v.). 6. Intraplantar racemic-flurbiprofen (1, 10 and 30 microg) dose-relatedly reduced the carrageenan-enhanced ankle diameter (r=0.81, P<0.001) and the number of c-Fos-LI neurons in L4-L5 segments (r=0.83, P<0.001). with a 60+/-3% reduction of the number of c-Fos-LI neurons (P<0.001), and 30+/-3 and 67+/-7% reduction of paw and ankle diameter respectively (P<0.001 for both) for the dose of 30 microg. 7. For intraplantar S(+)-flurbiprofen (1, 10 and 30 microg) the dose-related effects (r=0.77, r=0.60 and r=0.59 for c-Fos-LI neurons, paw and ankle diameters respectively, P<0.001, P<0.01 and P<0.01) were similar to those of racemic-flurbiprofen. In contrast, intraplantar R(-)-flurbiprofen (1, 10 and 30 microg) did not have detectable effects on all studied parameters. 8. The present study provides clear evidence for potent anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of both intravenous or intraplantar racemic- and S(+)-flurbiprofen. These results further demonstrate marked anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of intravenous, but not intraplantar, R(-)-flurbiprofen. These results suggest that the main site of action of racemic- and S(+ )-flurbiprofen is in the periphery and indicate that the site of action of R(-)-flurbiprofen is mainly of central origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Buritova
- Unité de Recherche de Physiopharmacologie du Système Nerveux, INSERM U-161 and EPHE, Paris, France
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