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Du S, Song Y, Yuan J, Hao R, Wu L, Lei S, Hu W. An Artificial Universal Tactile Nociceptor Based on 2D Polymer Film Memristor Arrays with Tunable Resistance Switching Behaviors. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:33907-33916. [PMID: 38889049 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c05112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Nociceptor is an important receptor in the organism's sensory system; it can perceive harmful stimuli and send signals to the brain in order to protect the body in time. The injury degree of nociceptor can be divided into three stages: self-healing injury, treatable injury, and permanent injury. However, the current studies on nociceptor simulation are limited to the self-healing stage due to the limitation of the untunable resistance switching behavior of memristors. In this study, we constructed Al/2DPTPAK+TAPB/Ag memristor arrays with adjustable memory behaviors to emulate the nociceptor of biological neural network of all three stages. For this purpose, a PDMS/AgNWs/ITO/PET pressure sensor was assembled to mimic the tactile perception of the skin. The memristor arrays can not only simulate all the response of nociceptor, i.e., the threshold, relaxation, no adaptation, and sensitization with the self-healing injury, but can also simulate the treatable injury and the permanent injury. These behaviors are both demonstrated with a single memristor and in the form of pattern mapping of the memristor array.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaolin Du
- Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yaru Song
- Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- State Key Laboratory of Fluorinated Functional Membrane Materials, Shandong Dongyue Polymer Material Co., Ltd., Zibo 256401, China
| | - Jiangyan Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Ruisha Hao
- Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Lingli Wu
- Medical College, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shengbin Lei
- Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Wenping Hu
- Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
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Hoyer J, Kolar K, Athira A, van den Burgh M, Dondorp D, Liang Z, Chatzigeorgiou M. Polymodal sensory perception drives settlement and metamorphosis of Ciona larvae. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1168-1182.e7. [PMID: 38335959 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
The Earth's oceans brim with an incredible diversity of microscopic lifeforms, including motile planktonic larvae, whose survival critically depends on effective dispersal in the water column and subsequent exploration of the seafloor to identify a suitable settlement site. How their nervous systems mediate sensing of diverse multimodal cues remains enigmatic. Here, we uncover that the tunicate Ciona intestinalis larvae employ ectodermal sensory cells to sense various mechanical and chemical cues. Combining whole-brain imaging and chemogenetics, we demonstrate that stimuli encoded at the periphery are sufficient to drive global brain-state changes to promote or impede both larval attachment and metamorphosis behaviors. The ability of C. intestinalis larvae to leverage polymodal sensory perception to support information coding and chemotactile behaviors may explain how marine larvae make complex decisions despite streamlined nervous systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorgen Hoyer
- Michael Sars Centre, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway
| | - Kushal Kolar
- Michael Sars Centre, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway
| | - Athira Athira
- Michael Sars Centre, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway
| | - Meike van den Burgh
- Michael Sars Centre, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway
| | - Daniel Dondorp
- Michael Sars Centre, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway
| | - Zonglai Liang
- Michael Sars Centre, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway
| | - Marios Chatzigeorgiou
- Michael Sars Centre, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway.
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3
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Qi L, Iskols M, Shi D, Reddy P, Walker C, Lezgiyeva K, Voisin T, Pawlak M, Kuchroo VK, Chiu IM, Ginty DD, Sharma N. A mouse DRG genetic toolkit reveals morphological and physiological diversity of somatosensory neuron subtypes. Cell 2024; 187:1508-1526.e16. [PMID: 38442711 PMCID: PMC10947841 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) somatosensory neurons detect mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli acting on the body. Achieving a holistic view of how different DRG neuron subtypes relay neural signals from the periphery to the CNS has been challenging with existing tools. Here, we develop and curate a mouse genetic toolkit that allows for interrogating the properties and functions of distinct cutaneous targeting DRG neuron subtypes. These tools have enabled a broad morphological analysis, which revealed distinct cutaneous axon arborization areas and branching patterns of the transcriptionally distinct DRG neuron subtypes. Moreover, in vivo physiological analysis revealed that each subtype has a distinct threshold and range of responses to mechanical and/or thermal stimuli. These findings support a model in which morphologically and physiologically distinct cutaneous DRG sensory neuron subtypes tile mechanical and thermal stimulus space to collectively encode a wide range of natural stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Qi
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michael Iskols
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David Shi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Pranav Reddy
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Christopher Walker
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Karina Lezgiyeva
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tiphaine Voisin
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mathias Pawlak
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Mass General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vijay K Kuchroo
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Mass General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Isaac M Chiu
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David D Ginty
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Nikhil Sharma
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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Anuszczyk SR, Dabiri JO. Electromechanical enhancement of live jellyfish for ocean exploration. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2024; 19:026018. [PMID: 38330441 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ad277f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
The vast majority of the ocean's volume remains unexplored, in part because of limitations on the vertical range and measurement duration of existing robotic platforms. In light of the accelerating rate of climate change impacts on the physics and biogeochemistry of the ocean, the need for new tools that can measure more of the ocean on faster timescales is becoming pressing. Robotic platforms inspired or enabled by aquatic organisms have the potential to augment conventional technologies for ocean exploration. Recent work demonstrated the feasibility of directly stimulating the muscle tissue of live jellyfish via implanted microelectronics. We present a biohybrid robotic jellyfish that leverages this external electrical swimming control, while also using a 3D printed passive mechanical attachment to streamline the jellyfish shape, increase swimming performance, and significantly enhance payload capacity. A six-meter-tall, 13 600 l saltwater facility was constructed to enable testing of the vertical swimming capabilities of the biohybrid robotic jellyfish over distances exceeding 35 body diameters. We found that the combination of external swimming control and the addition of the mechanical forebody resulted in an increase in swimming speeds to 4.5 times natural jellyfish locomotion. Moreover, the biohybrid jellyfish were capable of carrying a payload volume up to 105% of the jellyfish body volume. The added payload decreased the intracycle acceleration of the biohybrid robots relative to natural jellyfish, which could also facilitate more precise measurements by onboard sensors that depend on consistent platform motion. While many robotic exploration tools are limited by cost, energy expenditure, and varying oceanic environmental conditions, this platform is inexpensive, highly efficient, and benefits from the widespread natural habitats of jellyfish. The demonstrated performance of these biohybrid robots suggests an opportunity to expand the set of robotic tools for comprehensive monitoring of the changing ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon R Anuszczyk
- Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
| | - John O Dabiri
- Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
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5
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Zhai R, Wang Q. Phylogenetic Analysis Provides Insight Into the Molecular Evolution of Nociception and Pain-Related Proteins. Evol Bioinform Online 2023; 19:11769343231216914. [PMID: 38107163 PMCID: PMC10725132 DOI: 10.1177/11769343231216914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Nociception and pain sensation are important neural processes in humans to avoid injury. Many proteins are involved in nociception and pain sensation in humans; however, the evolution of these proteins in animals is unknown. Here, we chose nociception- and pain-related proteins, including G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels (ICs), and neuropeptides (NPs), which are reportedly associated with nociception and pain in humans, and identified their homologs in various animals by BLAST, phylogenetic analysis and protein architecture comparison to reveal their evolution from protozoans to humans. We found that the homologs of transient receptor potential channel A 1 (TRPA1), TRAPM, acid-sensing IC (ASIC), and voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) first appear in Porifera. Substance-P receptor 1 (TACR1) emerged from Coelenterata. Somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2), TRPV1 and voltage-dependent sodium channels (VDSC) appear in Platyhelminthes. Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor (CGRPR) was first identified in Nematoda. However, opioid receptors (OPRs) and most NPs were discovered only in vertebrates and exist from agnatha to humans. The results demonstrated that homologs of nociception and pain-related ICs exist from lower animal phyla to high animal phyla, and that most of the GPCRs originate from low to high phyla sequentially, whereas OPRs and NPs are newly evolved in vertebrates, which provides hints of the evolution of nociception and pain-related proteins in animals and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rujun Zhai
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P. R. China
| | - Qian Wang
- Changping Laboratory, Beijing, P. R. China
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Norbury R, Dickens L, Grant I, Emery A, Patterson SD. Remote ischaemic preconditioning increase tolerance to experimentally induced cold pain. Eur J Sport Sci 2023; 23:2435-2442. [PMID: 37746841 DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2023.2241831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) applied locally and remotely has been shown to reduce pain which may underpin its ergogenic effect on exercise performance, however, it is unclear how many IPC cycles are needed to induce hypoalgesia. Therefore the purpose of this study was to examine the number of cycles of IPC on experimental pain perception. Sixteen healthy participants underwent four, randomised, experimental sessions where they either underwent a sham protocol (1 × 5 min at 20 mmHg), and 1, 2 or 3 cycles × 5 min of remote IPC at 105% of limb occlusion pressure. Ten minutes post-intervention, participants underwent a cold-pressor test where pain threshold, pain tolerance and pain intensity were examined and compared between conditions with a one-way repeated measure analysis of variance. Pain threshold was not different between conditions (P = 0.065); but pain tolerance was increased by ∼30% in the 1 × 5 condition, 2 × 5 condition, and 3 × 5 condition compared to the sham condition. No differences in pain tolerance were seen between the different numbers of cycles (all P > 0.05). There was also no difference in the perception of pain 30 s into the cold pressor test (P = 0.279). Remote IPC appears to significantly improve tolerance to pain which may have significant implications for endurance performance and exercise rehabilitation, but this warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Norbury
- Faculty of Sport, Allied Health and Performance Science, St Mary's University, Twickenham, UK
| | - Lieben Dickens
- Faculty of Sport, Allied Health and Performance Science, St Mary's University, Twickenham, UK
| | - Ian Grant
- Faculty of Sport, Allied Health and Performance Science, St Mary's University, Twickenham, UK
| | - Alison Emery
- Faculty of Sport, Allied Health and Performance Science, St Mary's University, Twickenham, UK
| | - Stephen D Patterson
- Faculty of Sport, Allied Health and Performance Science, St Mary's University, Twickenham, UK
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Walters ET. Exaptation and Evolutionary Adaptation in Nociceptor Mechanisms Driving Persistent Pain. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2023; 98:314-330. [PMID: 38035556 PMCID: PMC10922759 DOI: 10.1159/000535552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several evolutionary explanations have been proposed for why chronic pain is a major clinical problem. One is that some mechanisms important for driving chronic pain, while maladaptive for modern humans, were adaptive because they enhanced survival. Evidence is reviewed for persistent nociceptor hyperactivity (PNH), known to promote chronic pain in rodents and humans, being an evolutionarily adaptive response to significant bodily injury, and primitive molecular mechanisms related to cellular injury and stress being exapted (co-opted or repurposed) to drive PNH and consequent pain. SUMMARY PNH in a snail (Aplysia californica), squid (Doryteuthis pealeii), fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), mice, rats, and humans has been documented as long-lasting enhancement of action potential discharge evoked by peripheral stimuli, and in some of these species as persistent extrinsically driven ongoing activity and/or intrinsic spontaneous activity (OA and SA, respectively). In mammals, OA and SA are often initiated within the protected nociceptor soma long after an inducing injury. Generation of OA or SA in nociceptor somata may be very rare in invertebrates, but prolonged afterdischarge in nociceptor somata readily occurs in sensitized Aplysia. Evidence for the adaptiveness of injury-induced PNH has come from observations of decreased survival of injured squid exposed to predators when PNH is blocked, from plausible survival benefits of chronic sensitization after severe injuries such as amputation, and from the functional coherence and intricacy of mammalian PNH mechanisms. Major contributions of cAMP-PKA signaling (with associated calcium signaling) to the maintenance of PNH both in mammals and molluscs suggest that this ancient stress signaling system was exapted early during the evolution of nociceptors to drive hyperactivity following bodily injury. Vertebrates have retained core cAMP-PKA signaling modules for PNH while adding new extracellular modulators (e.g., opioids) and cAMP-regulated ion channels (e.g., TRPV1 and Nav1.8 channels). KEY MESSAGES Evidence from multiple phyla indicates that PNH is a physiological adaptation that decreases the risk of attacks on injured animals. Core cAMP-PKA signaling modules make major contributions to the maintenance of PNH in molluscs and mammals. This conserved signaling has been linked to ancient cellular responses to stress, which may have been exapted in early nociceptors to drive protective hyperactivity that can persist while bodily functions recover after significant injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar T Walters
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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Li X, Prudente AS, Prato V, Guo X, Hao H, Jones F, Figoli S, Mullen P, Wang Y, Tonnello R, Lee SH, Shah S, Maffei B, Berta T, Du X, Gamper N. Peripheral gating of pain by glial endozepine. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.20.567848. [PMID: 38045227 PMCID: PMC10690183 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.20.567848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
We report that diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) is a glial messenger mediating satellite glia-sensory neuron crosstalk in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). DBI is highly and specifically expressed in satellite glia cells (SGCs) of mice, rat and human, but not in sensory neurons or other DRG-resident cells. Knockdown of DBI results in a robust mechanical hypersensitivity without significant effects on other sensory modalities. In vivo overexpression of DBI in SGCs reduces sensitivity to mechanical stimulation and alleviates mechanical allodynia in neuropathic and inflammatory pain models. We further show that DBI acts as a partial agonist and positive allosteric modulator at the neuronal GABAA receptors, particularly strongly effecting those with a high-affinity benzodiazepine binding site. Such receptors are selectively expressed by a subpopulation of mechanosensitive DRG neurons and these are also more enwrapped with DBI-expressing glia, as compared to other DRG neurons, suggesting a mechanism for specific effect of DBI on mechanosensation. These findings identified a new, peripheral neuron-glia communication mechanism modulating pain signalling, which can be targeted therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinmeng Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Arthur Silveira Prudente
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Vincenzo Prato
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Xianchuan Guo
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Han Hao
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Frederick Jones
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Sofia Figoli
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Pierce Mullen
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Yujin Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Raquel Tonnello
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Sang Hoon Lee
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Shihab Shah
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Benito Maffei
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Temugin Berta
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Xiaona Du
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Nikita Gamper
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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de C Williams AC. Pain: Behavioural expression and response in an evolutionary framework. Evol Med Public Health 2023; 11:429-437. [PMID: 38022798 PMCID: PMC10656790 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoad038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
An evolutionary perspective offers insights into the major public health problem of chronic (persistent) pain; behaviours associated with it perpetuate both pain and disability. Pain is motivating, and pain-related behaviours promote recovery by immediate active or passive defence; subsequent protection of wounds; suppression of competing responses; energy conservation; vigilance to threat; and learned avoidance of associated cues. When these persist beyond healing, as in chronic pain, they are disabling. In mammals, facial and bodily expression of pain is visible and identifiable by others, while social context, including conspecifics' responses, modulate pain. Studies of responses to pain emphasize onlooker empathy, but people with chronic pain report feeling disbelieved and stigmatized. Observers frequently discount others' pain, best understood in terms of cheater detection-alertness to free riders that underpins the capacity for prosocial behaviours. These dynamics occur both in everyday life and in clinical encounters, providing an account of the adaptiveness of pain-related behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C de C Williams
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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Nijhuis HJA, Hofsté WJ, Krabbenbos IP, Dietz BE, Mugan D, Huygen F. First Report on Real-World Outcomes with Evoked Compound Action Potential (ECAP)-Controlled Closed-Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation for Treatment of Chronic Pain. Pain Ther 2023; 12:1221-1233. [PMID: 37481774 PMCID: PMC10444915 DOI: 10.1007/s40122-023-00540-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A novel closed-loop spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system has recently been approved for use which records evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) from the spinal cord and utilizes these recordings to automatically adjust the stimulation strength in real time. It automatically compensates for fluctuations in distance between the epidural leads and the spinal cord by maintaining the neural response (ECAP) at a determined target level. This data collection was principally designed to evaluate the performance of this first closed-loop SCS system in a 'real-world' setting under normal conditions of use in a single European center. METHODS In this prospective, single-center observational data collection, 22 patients were recruited at the outpatient pain clinic of the St. Antonius Hospital. All candidates were suffering from chronic pain in the trunk and/or limbs due to PSPS type 2 (persistent spinal pain syndrome). As standard of care, follow-up visits were completed at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post-device activation. Patient-reported outcome data (pain intensity, patient satisfaction) and electrophysiological and device data (ECAP amplitude, conduction velocity, current output, pulse width, frequency, usage), and patient interaction with their controller were collected at baseline and during standard of care follow-up visits. RESULTS Significant decreases in pain intensity for overall back or leg pain scores (verbal numerical rating score = VNRS) were observed between baseline [mean ± SEM (standard error of the mean); n = 22; 8.4 ± 0.2)], 3 months (n = 12; 1.9 ± 0.5), 6 months (n = 16; 2.6 ± 0.5), and 12 months (n = 20; 2.0 ± 0.5), with 85.0% of the patients being satisfied at 12 months. Additionally, no significant differences in average pain relief at 3 months and 12 months between the real-world data (77.2%; 76.8%) and the AVALON (71.2%; 73.6%) and EVOKE (78.1%; 76.7%) studies were observed. CONCLUSIONS These initial 'real-world' data on ECAP-controlled, closed-loop SCS in a real-world clinical setting appear to be promising, as they provide novel insights of the beneficial effect of ECAP-controlled, closed-loop SCS in a real-world setting. The presented results demonstrate a noteworthy maintenance of pain relief over 12 months and corroborate the outcomes observed in the AVALON prospective, multicenter, single-arm study and the EVOKE double-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION The data collection is registered on the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (Trial NL7889).
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold J. A. Nijhuis
- St. Antonius Hospital, Koekoekslaan 1, 3435 CM Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
- Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Willem-Jan Hofsté
- St. Antonius Hospital, Koekoekslaan 1, 3435 CM Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
| | - Imre P. Krabbenbos
- St. Antonius Hospital, Koekoekslaan 1, 3435 CM Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
| | | | - Dave Mugan
- Saluda Medical Europe Ltd, Harrogate, United Kingdom
| | - Frank Huygen
- Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Haghighat Lari MM, Banafshe HR, Seyed Hosseini E, Haddad Kashani H. The effect of risperidone on behavioral reactions and gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in neuropathic pain model induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve in rat. Inflammopharmacology 2023; 31:2641-2652. [PMID: 37535213 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-023-01293-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuropathic pain results from lesions or diseases affecting the somatosensory system. The management of a patient with chronic neuropathic pain remains a challenge several studies report the analgesic effect of serotonin receptor antagonists in different models of experimental pain. The present study was designed to study the effect of systemic administration of risperidone, on behavioral scores of neuropathic pains in chronic constriction (CCI) model in rats. METHODS Inducing neuropathic pain with the CCI model which causes heat hyperalgesia, heat, and mechanical allodynia was performed on rats, and then, in two phases, risperidone effect was determined. In the acute phase, risperidone 1, 2, 4 mg was administered for three groups half an hour before behavioral tests on the 7th, 14th, and 21st day after surgery, and in the chronic phase, risperidone 1, 2, and 4 mg was administered for three different groups from the 1st to 14th days after surgery than on 14th-day behavioral scores were performed. For gene expression analysis, samples are taken from spinal cord tissues in lumbar segments. RESULTS This study shows chronic administration of risperidone as an antipsychotic drug was effective on heat hyperalgesia and allodynia. However, only the max dosage (4 mg) of risperidone showed meaningful improvement in increasing mechanical allodynia. However, acute administering of risperidone did not show any meaningful changes in behavioral tests on neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve in rats. In addition, gene expression results showed an increase in IL-4 and IL-10 gene expression in the risperidone group compared to the sham group. CONCLUSION This study suggests the helpful preventive effects of risperidone in developing and increasing neuropathic pain, but it does not have any instant effect.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hamid Reza Banafshe
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Elahe Seyed Hosseini
- Gametogenesis Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
| | - Hamed Haddad Kashani
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
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12
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Bohic M, Pattison LA, Jhumka ZA, Rossi H, Thackray JK, Ricci M, Mossazghi N, Foster W, Ogundare S, Twomey CR, Hilton H, Arnold J, Tischfield MA, Yttri EA, St John Smith E, Abdus-Saboor I, Abraira VE. Mapping the neuroethological signatures of pain, analgesia, and recovery in mice. Neuron 2023; 111:2811-2830.e8. [PMID: 37442132 PMCID: PMC10697150 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing pain is driven by the activation and modulation of pain-sensing neurons, affecting physiology, motor function, and motivation to engage in certain behaviors. The complexity of the pain state has evaded a comprehensive definition, especially in non-verbal animals. Here, in mice, we used site-specific electrophysiology to define key time points corresponding to peripheral sensitivity in acute paw inflammation and chronic knee pain models. Using supervised and unsupervised machine learning tools, we uncovered sensory-evoked coping postures unique to each model. Through 3D pose analytics, we identified movement sequences that robustly represent different pain states and found that commonly used analgesics do not return an animal's behavior to a pre-injury state. Instead, these analgesics induce a novel set of spontaneous behaviors that are maintained even after resolution of evoked pain behaviors. Together, these findings reveal previously unidentified neuroethological signatures of pain and analgesia at heightened pain states and during recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Bohic
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA; W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Luke A Pattison
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Z Anissa Jhumka
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heather Rossi
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joshua K Thackray
- Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA; Tourette International Collaborative Genetics Study (TIC Genetics), Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Matthew Ricci
- Data Science Initiative, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Nahom Mossazghi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William Foster
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Simon Ogundare
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Colin R Twomey
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Helen Hilton
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Justin Arnold
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Max A Tischfield
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA; Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA; Tourette International Collaborative Genetics Study (TIC Genetics), Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Eric A Yttri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Ishmail Abdus-Saboor
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Victoria E Abraira
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA; W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
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13
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Hoynoski J, Dohn J, Franzen AD, Burrell BD. Repetitive nociceptive stimulation elicits complex behavioral changes in Hirudo: evidence of arousal and motivational adaptations. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245895. [PMID: 37497630 PMCID: PMC10445732 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Appropriate responses to real or potential damaging stimuli to the body (nociception) are critical to an animal's short- and long-term survival. The initial goal of this study was to examine habituation of withdrawal reflexes (whole-body and local shortening) to repeated mechanical nociceptive stimuli (needle pokes) in the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, and assess whether injury altered habituation to these nociceptive stimuli. While repeated needle pokes did reduce shortening in H. verbana, a second set of behavior changes was observed. Specifically, animals began to evade subsequent stimuli by either hiding their posterior sucker underneath adjacent body segments or engaging in locomotion (crawling). Animals differed in terms of how quickly they adopted evasion behaviors during repeated stimulation, exhibiting a multi-modal distribution for early, intermediate and late evaders. Prior injury had a profound effect on this transition, decreasing the time frame in which animals began to carry out evasion and increasing the magnitude of these evasion behaviors (more locomotory evasion). The data indicate the presence in Hirudo of a complex and adaptive defensive arousal process to avoid noxious stimuli that is influenced by differences in internal states, prior experience with injury of the stimulated areas, and possibly learning-based processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Hoynoski
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavioral Research (CBBRe), Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
| | - John Dohn
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavioral Research (CBBRe), Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
| | - Avery D. Franzen
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavioral Research (CBBRe), Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
| | - Brian D. Burrell
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavioral Research (CBBRe), Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
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14
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Park TJ, Reznick J. Extreme Physiology Extreme Tolerance to Hypoxia, Hypercapnia, and Pain in the Naked Mole-Rat. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2023; 44:61-72. [PMID: 35854159 PMCID: PMC10329625 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-022-09623-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Challenging environmental conditions can drive the evolution of extreme physiological traits. The naked mole-rat has evolved to survive and thrive in a low oxygen, high carbon dioxide environment that would be deadly to humans and most other mammals. The naked mole-rat's lifestyle is unusual in that this species combines subterranean living and living in large, social groups of up to 300 + individuals. Many respiring animals in a closed environment can lead to depletion of oxygen (hypoxia) and accumulation of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia). Naked mole-rats display a variety of physiological traits that negate the adverse effects of living in this atmosphere. For hypoxia tolerance, naked mole-rats have a low resting metabolism, high affinity hemoglobin, intrinsic brain tolerance, the ability to use fructose for anaerobic glycolysis, and the ability to enter a low energy, suspended animation-like state. For hypercapnia tolerance, these animals have a mutation in a voltage gated sodium channel that effectively eliminates neuronal responses to tissue acidosis. In other mammals, acidosis from exposure to high concentrations of carbon dioxide induces pain and pulmonary edema. Understanding these mechanisms of extreme physiology is not only inherently interesting, but it may lead to biomedical breakthroughs in research on heart attacks, strokes, and pain pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Park
- Department of Biological Sciences and Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America.
| | - Jane Reznick
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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15
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Qi L, Iskols M, Shi D, Reddy P, Walker C, Lezgiyeva K, Voisin T, Pawlak M, Kuchroo VK, Chiu I, Ginty DD, Sharma N. A DRG genetic toolkit reveals molecular, morphological, and functional diversity of somatosensory neuron subtypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.22.537932. [PMID: 37131664 PMCID: PMC10153270 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.22.537932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical and thermal stimuli acting on the skin are detected by morphologically and physiologically distinct sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Achieving a holistic view of how this diverse neuronal population relays sensory information from the skin to the central nervous system (CNS) has been challenging with existing tools. Here, we used transcriptomic datasets of the mouse DRG to guide development and curation of a genetic toolkit to interrogate transcriptionally defined DRG neuron subtypes. Morphological analysis revealed unique cutaneous axon arborization areas and branching patterns of each subtype. Physiological analysis showed that subtypes exhibit distinct thresholds and ranges of responses to mechanical and/or thermal stimuli. The somatosensory neuron toolbox thus enables comprehensive phenotyping of most principal sensory neuron subtypes. Moreover, our findings support a population coding scheme in which the activation thresholds of morphologically and physiologically distinct cutaneous DRG neuron subtypes tile multiple dimensions of stimulus space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Qi
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Michael Iskols
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
| | - David Shi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Pranav Reddy
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Christopher Walker
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Karina Lezgiyeva
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Tiphaine Voisin
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Mathias Pawlak
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vijay K. Kuchroo
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Isaac Chiu
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - David D. Ginty
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Nikhil Sharma
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
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16
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Boivin JC, Zhu J, Ohyama T. Nociception in fruit fly larvae. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2023; 4:1076017. [PMID: 37006412 PMCID: PMC10063880 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1076017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Nociception, the process of encoding and processing noxious or painful stimuli, allows animals to detect and avoid or escape from potentially life-threatening stimuli. Here, we provide a brief overview of recent technical developments and studies that have advanced our understanding of the Drosophila larval nociceptive circuit and demonstrated its potential as a model system to elucidate the mechanistic basis of nociception. The nervous system of a Drosophila larva contains roughly 15,000 neurons, which allows for reconstructing the connectivity among them directly by transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the availability of genetic tools for manipulating the activity of individual neurons and recent advances in computational and high-throughput behavior analysis methods have facilitated the identification of a neural circuit underlying a characteristic nocifensive behavior. We also discuss how neuromodulators may play a key role in modulating the nociceptive circuit and behavioral output. A detailed understanding of the structure and function of Drosophila larval nociceptive neural circuit could provide insights into the organization and operation of pain circuits in mammals and generate new knowledge to advance the development of treatment options for pain in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Boivin
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jiayi Zhu
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tomoko Ohyama
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Correspondence: Tomoko Ohyama
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17
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Hanč P, Messou MA, Wang Y, von Andrian UH. Control of myeloid cell functions by nociceptors. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1127571. [PMID: 37006298 PMCID: PMC10064072 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1127571] [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: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system has evolved to protect the host from infectious agents, parasites, and tumor growth, and to ensure the maintenance of homeostasis. Similarly, the primary function of the somatosensory branch of the peripheral nervous system is to collect and interpret sensory information about the environment, allowing the organism to react to or avoid situations that could otherwise have deleterious effects. Consequently, a teleological argument can be made that it is of advantage for the two systems to cooperate and form an “integrated defense system” that benefits from the unique strengths of both subsystems. Indeed, nociceptors, sensory neurons that detect noxious stimuli and elicit the sensation of pain or itch, exhibit potent immunomodulatory capabilities. Depending on the context and the cellular identity of their communication partners, nociceptors can play both pro- or anti-inflammatory roles, promote tissue repair or aggravate inflammatory damage, improve resistance to pathogens or impair their clearance. In light of such variability, it is not surprising that the full extent of interactions between nociceptors and the immune system remains to be established. Nonetheless, the field of peripheral neuroimmunology is advancing at a rapid pace, and general rules that appear to govern the outcomes of such neuroimmune interactions are beginning to emerge. Thus, in this review, we summarize our current understanding of the interaction between nociceptors and, specifically, the myeloid cells of the innate immune system, while pointing out some of the outstanding questions and unresolved controversies in the field. We focus on such interactions within the densely innervated barrier tissues, which can serve as points of entry for infectious agents and, where known, highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Hanč
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Pavel Hanč, ; Ulrich H. von Andrian,
| | - Marie-Angèle Messou
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Yidi Wang
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Ulrich H. von Andrian
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Pavel Hanč, ; Ulrich H. von Andrian,
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18
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Walters ET, Crook RJ, Neely GG, Price TJ, Smith ESJ. Persistent nociceptor hyperactivity as a painful evolutionary adaptation. Trends Neurosci 2023; 46:211-227. [PMID: 36610893 PMCID: PMC9974896 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Chronic pain caused by injury or disease of the nervous system (neuropathic pain) has been linked to persistent electrical hyperactivity of the sensory neurons (nociceptors) specialized to detect damaging stimuli and/or inflammation. This pain and hyperactivity are considered maladaptive because both can persist long after injured tissues have healed and inflammation has resolved. While the assumption of maladaptiveness is appropriate in many diseases, accumulating evidence from diverse species, including humans, challenges the assumption that neuropathic pain and persistent nociceptor hyperactivity are always maladaptive. We review studies indicating that persistent nociceptor hyperactivity has undergone evolutionary selection in widespread, albeit selected, animal groups as a physiological response that can increase survival long after bodily injury, using both highly conserved and divergent underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar T Walters
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Robyn J Crook
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - G Gregory Neely
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Theodore J Price
- Department of Neuroscience and Center for Advanced Pain Studies, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Ewan St John Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK
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19
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Himmel NJ, Sakurai A, Patel AA, Bhattacharjee S, Letcher JM, Benson MN, Gray TR, Cymbalyuk GS, Cox DN. Chloride-dependent mechanisms of multimodal sensory discrimination and nociceptive sensitization in Drosophila. eLife 2023; 12:76863. [PMID: 36688373 PMCID: PMC9904763 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual sensory neurons can be tuned to many stimuli, each driving unique, stimulus-relevant behaviors, and the ability of multimodal nociceptor neurons to discriminate between potentially harmful and innocuous stimuli is broadly important for organismal survival. Moreover, disruptions in the capacity to differentiate between noxious and innocuous stimuli can result in neuropathic pain. Drosophila larval class III (CIII) neurons are peripheral noxious cold nociceptors and innocuous touch mechanosensors; high levels of activation drive cold-evoked contraction (CT) behavior, while low levels of activation result in a suite of touch-associated behaviors. However, it is unknown what molecular factors underlie CIII multimodality. Here, we show that the TMEM16/anoctamins subdued and white walker (wwk; CG15270) are required for cold-evoked CT, but not for touch-associated behavior, indicating a conserved role for anoctamins in nociception. We also evidence that CIII neurons make use of atypical depolarizing chloride currents to encode cold, and that overexpression of ncc69-a fly homologue of NKCC1-results in phenotypes consistent with neuropathic sensitization, including behavioral sensitization and neuronal hyperexcitability, making Drosophila CIII neurons a candidate system for future studies of the basic mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Akira Sakurai
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | - Atit A Patel
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | | | - Jamin M Letcher
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | - Maggie N Benson
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | - Thomas R Gray
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
| | | | - Daniel N Cox
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgia
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20
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Santos-Silva T, Lopes CFB, Guimarães JDS, Valer FB, Kuhn GCSE, Romero TRL, Naves LA, Duarte IDG. Classical analgesic drugs modulate nociceptive-like escape behavior in Drosophila melanogaster larvae. RESEARCH RESULTS IN PHARMACOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/rrpharmacology.8.91390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Nociceptive stimulus triggers escape responses in Drosophila melanogaster larvae, characterized by 360° rolling behavior along its own body axis. Therefore, it is possible to study analgesic drugs based on this stereotypical nociceptive-like escape behavior. Here, we aimed to develop an analgesic predictive validity test of thermal nociception through D. melanogaster larvae.
Materials and methods: We evaluated the effect of classical analgesics (morphine, dipyrone, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and dexamethasone (DXM)) in the rolling behavior latency of D. melanogaster larvae exposed to thermal-acute noxious stimulus and nociceptive sensitization paradigm. Drugs were injected into hemocoel (100 nL) before nociceptive measurement.
Results and discussion: Rolling behavior latency was increased by morphine (2, 4, 8 and 16 ng) in dose-dependent manner. Naloxone (4 ng) fully reversed maximum effect of morphine. Dipyrone (32, 64 and 128 ng) and DXM (8 and 16 ng) elicited dose-dependent antinociceptive effects. Exposure of larvae to 97% of maximal infrared intensity induced nociceptive sensitization, i.e., latency changed from 12 to 7.5 seconds. ASA (25, 50 and 100 ng) and DXM (4, 8 and 16 ng) were administered 150 min after nociceptive sensitization and displayed reverse sensitization in rapid onset (30 min after injection). DXM (16 ng), injected prior to nociceptive sensitization, displayed a delay in the onset of action (150 min after injection). Locomotor behaviors were not affected by analgesic substances.
Conclusion: Our findings open perspectives for evaluation and discovery of antinociceptive drugs using D. melanogaster larvae model.
Graphical abstract
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21
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Ting AKY, Tay VSY, Chng HT, Xie S. A Critical Review on the Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Opioid Drugs Used in Reptiles. Vet Anim Sci 2022; 17:100267. [PMID: 36043206 PMCID: PMC9420515 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2022.100267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids are analgesics used for moderate to severe pain in many animals, including reptiles. However, reptilian dosing regimens are often extrapolated from other animal species. This is not ideal as inter- and intra-species variability in physiology may result in varied drug disposition. Therefore, this critical review aims to collate data from pharmacological studies of selected NSAIDs and opioids performed in reptile and provide an analysis and discussion on the existing pharmacodynamic knowledge and pharmacokinetic data of NSAIDs and opioids use in reptiles. Additionally, key pharmacokinetic trends that may aid dosing of NSAIDs and opioids in reptiles will also be highlighted. Most of the existing reports of NSAID used in reptiles did not observe any adverse effects directly associated to the respective NSAID used, with meloxicam being the most well-studied. Despite the current absence of analgesic efficacy studies for NSAIDs in reptiles, most reports observed behavioural improvements in reptiles after NSAID treatment. Fentanyl and morphine were studied in the greatest number of reptile species with analgesic effects observed with the doses used, while adverse effects such as sedation were observed most with butorphanol use. While pharmacokinetic trends were drug- and species-specific, it was observed that clearance (CL) of drugs tended to be higher in squamates compared to chelonians. The half-life (t1/2) of meloxicam also appeared to be longer when dosed orally compared to other routes of drug administration. This could have been due to absorption-rate limited disposition. Although current data provided beneficial information, there is an urgent need for future research on NSAID and opioid pharmacology to ensure the safe and effective use of opioids in reptiles.
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22
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Reho G, Lelièvre V, Cadiou H. Planarian nociception: Lessons from a scrunching flatworm. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:935918. [PMID: 35959107 PMCID: PMC9362985 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.935918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to being studied for their exceptional regeneration abilities, planarians (i.e., flatworms) have also been extensively used in the context of pharmacological experiments during the past century. Many researchers used planarians as a model system for the study of drug abuse because they display high similarities with the nervous system of vertebrates at cellular and molecular levels (e.g., neuronal morphology, neurotransmitter ligands, and receptor function). This research field recently led to the discovery of causal relationships between the expression of Transient Receptor Potential ion channels in planarians and their behavioral responses to noxious stimuli such as heat, cold or pharmacological analogs such as TRP agonists, among others. It has also been shown that some antinociceptive drugs modulate these behaviors. However, among the few authors that tried to implement a full behavior analysis, none reached a consensual use of the terms used to describe planarian gaits yet, nor did they establish a comprehensive description of a potential planarian nociceptive system. The aim of this review is therefore to aggregate the ancient and the most recent evidence for a true nociceptive behavior in planarians. It also highlights the convenience and relevance of this invertebrate model for nociceptive tests and suggests further lines of research. In regards to past pharmacological studies, this review finally discusses the opportunities given by the model to extensively screen for novel antinociceptive drugs.
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23
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Mason GJ, Lavery JM. What Is It Like to Be a Bass? Red Herrings, Fish Pain and the Study of Animal Sentience. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:788289. [PMID: 35573409 PMCID: PMC9094623 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.788289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Debates around fishes' ability to feel pain concern sentience: do reactions to tissue damage indicate evaluative consciousness (conscious affect), or mere nociception? Thanks to Braithwaite's discovery of trout nociceptors, and concerns that current practices could compromise welfare in countless fish, this issue's importance is beyond dispute. However, nociceptors are merely necessary, not sufficient, for true pain, and many measures held to indicate sentience have the same problem. The question of whether fish feel pain - or indeed anything at all - therefore stimulates sometimes polarized debate. Here, we try to bridge the divide. After reviewing key consciousness concepts, we identify "red herring" measures that should not be used to infer sentience because also present in non-sentient organisms, notably those lacking nervous systems, like plants and protozoa (P); spines disconnected from brains (S); decerebrate mammals and birds (D); and humans in unaware states (U). These "S.P.U.D. subjects" can show approach/withdrawal; react with apparent emotion; change their reactivity with food deprivation or analgesia; discriminate between stimuli; display Pavlovian learning, including some forms of trace conditioning; and even learn simple instrumental responses. Consequently, none of these responses are good indicators of sentience. Potentially more valid are aspects of working memory, operant conditioning, the self-report of state, and forms of higher order cognition. We suggest new experiments on humans to test these hypotheses, as well as modifications to tests for "mental time travel" and self-awareness (e.g., mirror self-recognition) that could allow these to now probe sentience (since currently they reflect perceptual rather than evaluative, affective aspects of consciousness). Because "bullet-proof" neurological and behavioral indicators of sentience are thus still lacking, agnosticism about fish sentience remains widespread. To end, we address how to balance such doubts with welfare protection, discussing concerns raised by key skeptics in this debate. Overall, we celebrate the rigorous evidential standards required by those unconvinced that fish are sentient; laud the compassion and ethical rigor shown by those advocating for welfare protections; and seek to show how precautionary principles still support protecting fish from physical harm.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. J. Mason
- Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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Jorgensen MM, Burrell BD. Approaches to studying injury-induced sensitization and the potential role of an endocannabinoid transmitter. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022; 208:313-323. [PMID: 35050393 PMCID: PMC8940709 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01540-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Endocannabinoids are traditionally thought to have an analgesic effect. However, it has been shown that while endocannabinoids can depress nociceptive signaling, they can also enhance non-nociceptive signaling. Therefore, endocannabinoids have the potential to contribute to non-nociceptive sensitization after an injury. Using Hirudo verbana (the medicinal leech), a model of injury-induced sensitization was developed in which a reproducible piercing injury was delivered to the posterior sucker of Hirudo. Injury-induced changes in the non-nociceptive threshold of Hirudo were determined through testing with Von Frey filaments and changes in the response to nociceptive stimuli were tested by measuring the latency to withdraw to a nociceptive thermal stimulus (Hargreaves apparatus). To test the potential role of endocannabinoids in mediating injury-induced sensitization, animals were injected with tetrahydrolipstatin (THL), which inhibits synthesis of the endocannabinoid transmitter 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Following injury, a significant decrease in the non-nociceptive response threshold (consistent with non-nociceptive sensitization) and a significant decrease in the response latency to nociceptive stimulation (consistent with nociceptive sensitization) were observed. In animals injected with THL, a decrease in non-nociceptive sensitization in injured animals was observed, but no effect on nociceptive sensitization was observed.
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Xia Q, Qin Y, Qiu P, Zheng A, Zhang X. Bio‑inspired Tactile Nociceptor Constructed by Integrating Wearable Sensing Paper and VO2 Threshold Switching Memristor. J Mater Chem B 2022; 10:1991-2000. [DOI: 10.1039/d1tb02578c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The sensations of touch and pain are fundamental components of our daily life, which can transport vital information about the surroundings and provide protection to our bodies. In this study,...
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Vice EN, Lagestee S, Browe BM, Deb D, Smith ESJ, Park TJ. Sensory Systems of the African Naked Mole-Rat. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:137-156. [PMID: 34424515 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Naked mole-rats share some sensory characteristics with other subterraneans, including lack of object vision, retention of the ability to entrain their circadian rhythm to light, and poor hearing. On the other hand, a characteristic that may be specialized in the naked mole-rat is their exquisite orienting responses to the touch of even a single body vibrissa. They have about 100 whisker-like body vibrissae on their otherwise furless bodies. They are also insensitive to chemical and inflammatory pain, likely an adaptation to living in an atmosphere that is high in carbon dioxide, a result of many respiring individuals driving carbon dioxide accumulation. Naked mole-rats have the highest population density among subterranean mammals. High levels of carbon dioxide cause tissue acidosis and associated pain. Remarkably, naked mole-rats are completely immune to carbon dioxide-induced pulmonary edema. However, they retain the ability to detect acid as a taste (sour). Finally, their ability to smell and discriminate odors is comparable to that of rats and mice, but their vomeronasal organ, associated with sensing pheromones, is extremely small and shows a complete lack of post-natal growth. In this chapter, we review what is known about the sensory systems of the naked mole-rat with emphasis on how they differ from other mammals, and even other subterraneans. More extensive accounts of the naked mole-rat's auditory and pain systems can be found in other chapters of this book.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Vice
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Samantha Lagestee
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Brigitte M Browe
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Deblina Deb
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Kids In Motion Pediatric Therapy Services, Highland, MI, USA
| | - Ewan St J Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Thomas J Park
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Richardson J, Kotevski A, Poole K. From stretch to deflection: the importance of context in the activation of mammalian, mechanically activated ion channels. FEBS J 2021; 289:4447-4469. [PMID: 34060230 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The ability of cells to convert mechanical perturbations into biochemical information is an essential aspect of mammalian physiology. The molecules that mediate such mechanotransduction include mechanically activated ion channels, which directly convert mechanical inputs into electrochemical signals. The unifying feature of these channels is that their open probability increases with the application of a mechanical input. However, the structure, activation profile and sensitivity of distinct mechanically activated ion channels vary from channel to channel. In this review, we discuss how ionic currents can be mechanically evoked and monitored in vitro, and describe the distinct activation profiles displayed by a range of mammalian channels. In addition, we discuss the various mechanisms by which the best-characterized mammalian, mechanically activated ion channel, PIEZO1, can be modulated. The diversity of activation and modulation of these mammalian ion channels suggest that these molecules may facilitate a finely controlled and diverse ability to sense mechanical inputs in mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Richardson
- EMBL Australia node in Single Molecule Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Cellular and Systems Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adrian Kotevski
- EMBL Australia node in Single Molecule Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Cellular and Systems Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kate Poole
- EMBL Australia node in Single Molecule Science, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Cellular and Systems Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Üstüntanır Dede AF, Arslanyolu M. The in vivo Tetrahymena thermophila extracellular glucose drop assay for characterization of mammalian insulin activity. Eur J Protistol 2021; 79:125803. [PMID: 34044354 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2021.125803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Insulin activity is generally determined by an in vivo rabbit blood glucose drop assay in research and industriel laboratories. The humane experimental techniques imply the use of alternative invertebrate organisms in place of animals, known as replacement rule of the 3Rs. In this study, we report an alternative in vivo extracellular glucose drop assay using unicellular invertebrate Tetrahymena thermophila to replace the use of rabbit and mouse. This assay has four major steps; growing cells, starving cells, treatment of cells and measurement of glucose drop. In this assay, 0.2 mg/ml of human, porcine and bovine insulins dropped extracellular glucose level to 16%, 14% and 12%, respectively in ten minutes. In addition, mammalian insulins respectively increased the cell area about 19%, 15%, and 16% at 6th hour with statistically significant effect on the cell growth, but not in the cell viability. The results showed that the in vivo Tetrahymena thermophila extracellular glucose drop assay could be used as an alternative assay to replace the mouse or the rabbit insulin blood glucose drop assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayça Fulya Üstüntanır Dede
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Sciences, Eskisehir Technical University, Yunus Emre Campus, Eskisehir 26470, Turkey.
| | - Muhittin Arslanyolu
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Eskisehir Technical University, Yunus Emre Campus, Eskisehir, Turkey.
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Draguhn A, Mallatt JM, Robinson DG. Anesthetics and plants: no pain, no brain, and therefore no consciousness. PROTOPLASMA 2021; 258:239-248. [PMID: 32880005 PMCID: PMC7907021 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-020-01550-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Plants have a rich variety of interactions with their environment, including adaptive responses mediated by electrical signaling. This has prompted claims that information processing in plants is similar to that in animals and, hence, that plants are conscious, intelligent organisms. In several recent reports, the facts that general anesthetics cause plants to lose their sensory responses and behaviors have been taken as support for such beliefs. These lipophilic substances, however, alter multiple molecular, cellular, and systemic functions in almost every organism. In humans and other animals with complex brains, they eliminate the experience of pain and disrupt consciousness. The question therefore arises: do plants feel pain and have consciousness? In this review, we discuss what can be learned from the effects of anesthetics in plants. For this, we describe the mechanisms and structural prerequisites for pain sensations in animals and show that plants lack the neural anatomy and all behaviors that would indicate pain. By explaining the ubiquitous and diverse effects of anesthetics, we discuss whether these substances provide any empirical or logical evidence for "plant consciousness" and whether it makes sense to study the effects of anesthetics on plants for this purpose. In both cases, the answer is a resounding no.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Draguhn
- Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jon M Mallatt
- The University of Washington WWAMI Medical Education Program, The University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA
| | - David G Robinson
- Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Abstract
Classically, skin was considered a mere structural barrier protecting organisms from a diversity of environmental insults. In recent decades, the cutaneous immune system has become recognized as a complex immunologic barrier involved in both antimicrobial immunity and homeostatic processes like wound healing. To sense a variety of chemical, mechanical, and thermal stimuli, the skin harbors one of the most sophisticated sensory networks in the body. However, recent studies suggest that the cutaneous nervous system is highly integrated with the immune system to encode specific sensations into evolutionarily conserved protective behaviors. In addition to directly sensing pathogens, neurons employ novel neuroimmune mechanisms to provide host immunity. Therefore, given that sensation underlies various physiologies through increasingly complex reflex arcs, a much more dynamic picture is emerging of the skin as a truly systemic organ with highly coordinated physical, immunologic, and neural functions in barrier immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Tamari
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; , .,Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; .,Department of Pediatrics, Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Aaron M Ver Heul
- Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; .,Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Brian S Kim
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; , .,Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA; .,Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Parvizi-Fard A, Salimi-Nezhad N, Amiri M, Falotico E, Laschi C. Sharpness recognition based on synergy between bio-inspired nociceptors and tactile mechanoreceptors. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2109. [PMID: 33483529 PMCID: PMC7822817 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81199-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Touch and pain sensations are complementary aspects of daily life that convey crucial information about the environment while also providing protection to our body. Technological advancements in prosthesis design and control mechanisms assist amputees to regain lost function but often they have no meaningful tactile feedback or perception. In the present study, we propose a bio-inspired tactile system with a population of 23 digital afferents: 12 RA-I, 6 SA-I, and 5 nociceptors. Indeed, the functional concept of the nociceptor is implemented on the FPGA for the first time. One of the main features of biological tactile afferents is that their distal axon branches in the skin, creating complex receptive fields. Given these physiological observations, the bio-inspired afferents are randomly connected to the several neighboring mechanoreceptors with different weights to form their own receptive field. To test the performance of the proposed neuromorphic chip in sharpness detection, a robotic system with three-degree of freedom equipped with the tactile sensor indents the 3D-printed objects. Spike responses of the biomimetic afferents are then collected for analysis by rate and temporal coding algorithms. In this way, the impact of the innervation mechanism and collaboration of afferents and nociceptors on sharpness recognition are investigated. Our findings suggest that the synergy between sensory afferents and nociceptors conveys more information about tactile stimuli which in turn leads to the robustness of the proposed neuromorphic system against damage to the taxels or afferents. Moreover, it is illustrated that spiking activity of the biomimetic nociceptors is amplified as the sharpness increases which can be considered as a feedback mechanism for prosthesis protection. This neuromorphic approach advances the development of prosthesis to include the sensory feedback and to distinguish innocuous (non-painful) and noxious (painful) stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Parvizi-Fard
- grid.412112.50000 0001 2012 5829Medical Biology Research Center, Institute of Health Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Nima Salimi-Nezhad
- grid.412112.50000 0001 2012 5829Medical Biology Research Center, Institute of Health Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Mahmood Amiri
- grid.412112.50000 0001 2012 5829Medical Technology Research Center, Institute of Health Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Parastar Ave., Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Egidio Falotico
- grid.263145.70000 0004 1762 600XThe BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera, Italy ,grid.263145.70000 0004 1762 600XDepartment of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Cecilia Laschi
- grid.263145.70000 0004 1762 600XThe BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera, Italy ,grid.263145.70000 0004 1762 600XDepartment of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy ,grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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The Somatosensory World of the African Naked Mole-Rat. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:197-220. [PMID: 34424517 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is famous for its longevity and unusual physiology. This eusocial species that lives in highly ordered and hierarchical colonies with a single breeding queen, also discovered secrets enabling somewhat pain-free living around 20 million years ago. Unlike most mammals, naked mole-rats do not feel the burn of chili pepper's active ingredient, capsaicin, nor the sting of acid. Indeed, by accumulating mutations in genes encoding proteins that are only now being exploited as targets for new pain therapies (the nerve growth factor receptor TrkA and voltage-gated sodium channel, NaV1.7), this species mastered the art of analgesia before humans evolved. Recently, we have identified pain-insensitivity as a trait shared by several closely related African mole-rat species. In this chapter we will show how African mole-rats have evolved pain insensitivity as well as discussing what the proximate factors may have been that led to the evolution of pain-free traits.
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Tong L, Stewart M, Johnson I, Appleyard R, Wilson B, James O, Johnson C, McGreevy P. A Comparative Neuro-Histological Assessment of Gluteal Skin Thickness and Cutaneous Nociceptor Distribution in Horses and Humans. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10112094. [PMID: 33187204 PMCID: PMC7696388 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary This study was performed to increase the understanding of the capacity of horse skin to detect pain when directly compared to human skin. The study focused on gluteal skin where horses are most often struck with whips during racing. The study was designed to inform the debate surrounding the use of whip strikes in horse racing where there is increasing pressure on the global racing industry to justify whip use. At the core of the debate is the question—do horses experience pain when being whipped? The study used microscopic studies of skin from 10 deceased humans and 20 euthanased horses to explore any differences between the species in their skin structure and nerve supply. The results revealed no significant difference between humans and horses in either the concentration of nerve endings in the outer pain-detecting layer of skin (epidermis) or in the thickness of this layer. In horses, this layer was deeper on the right than on the left. The collagen layer (dermis) of skin which is not involved in pain detection was significantly thinner in humans than in horses. These findings show that, although horse skin is thicker overall than human skin, the part of the skin that is thicker does not insulate them from pain that is generated during a whip strike, and that humans and horses have the equivalent basic anatomic structures to detect pain in the skin. Abstract The current project aims to build on knowledge of the nociceptive capability of equine skin to detect superficial acute pain, particularly in comparison to human skin. Post-mortem samples of gluteal skin were taken from men (n = 5) and women (n = 5), thoroughbreds and thoroughbred types (mares, n = 11; geldings, n = 9). Only sections that contained epidermis and dermis through to the hypodermis were analysed. Epidermal depth, dermal depth and epidermal nerve counts were conducted by a veterinary pathologist. The results revealed no significant difference between the epidermal nerve counts of humans and horses (t = 0.051, p = 0.960). There were no significant differences between epidermal thickness of humans (26.8 µm) and horses (31.6 µm) for reference (left side) samples (t = 0.117, p = 0.908). The human dermis was significantly thinner than the horse dermis (t = −2.946, p = 0.007). Epidermal samples were thicker on the right than on the left, but only significantly so for horses (t = 2.291, p = 0.023), not for humans (t = 0.694, p = 0.489). The thicker collagenous dermis of horse skin may afford some resilience versus external mechanical trauma, though as this is below the pain-detecting nerve endings, it is not considered protective from external cutaneous pain. The superficial pain-sensitive epidermal layer of horse skin is as richly innervated and is of equivalent thickness as human skin, demonstrating that humans and horses have the equivalent basic anatomic structures to detect cutaneous pain. This finding challenges assumptions about the physical capacity of horses to feel pain particularly in comparison to humans, and presents physical evidence to inform the discussion and debate regarding the ethics of whipping horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Tong
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, Sydney, NSW 2088, Australia;
| | | | - Ian Johnson
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sidney, NSW 2109, Australia; (I.J.); (R.A.)
| | - Richard Appleyard
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sidney, NSW 2109, Australia; (I.J.); (R.A.)
| | - Bethany Wilson
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;
| | - Olivia James
- Australian Veterinary Equine Dentistry, 27 Bellevue Terrace, Clayfield, QLD 4011, Australia;
| | - Craig Johnson
- School of Veterinary Science, Tāwharau Ora, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand;
| | - Paul McGreevy
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;
- Correspondence:
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Abboud C, Duveau A, Bouali-Benazzouz R, Massé K, Mattar J, Brochoire L, Fossat P, Boué-Grabot E, Hleihel W, Landry M. Animal models of pain: Diversity and benefits. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 348:108997. [PMID: 33188801 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Chronic pain is a maladaptive neurological disease that remains a major health problem. A deepening of our knowledge on mechanisms that cause pain is a prerequisite to developing novel treatments. A large variety of animal models of pain has been developed that recapitulate the diverse symptoms of different pain pathologies. These models reproduce different pain phenotypes and remain necessary to examine the multidimensional aspects of pain and understand the cellular and molecular basis underlying pain conditions. In this review, we propose an overview of animal models, from simple organisms to rodents and non-human primates and the specific traits of pain pathologies they model. We present the main behavioral tests for assessing pain and investing the underpinning mechanisms of chronic pathological pain. The validity of animal models is analysed based on their ability to mimic human clinical diseases and to predict treatment outcomes. Refine characterization of pathological phenotypes also requires to consider pain globally using specific procedures dedicated to study emotional comorbidities of pain. We discuss the limitations of pain models when research findings fail to be translated from animal models to human clinics. But we also point to some recent successes in analgesic drug development that highlight strategies for improving the predictive validity of animal models of pain. Finally, we emphasize the importance of using assortments of preclinical pain models to identify pain subtype mechanisms, and to foster the development of better analgesics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Abboud
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, IINS, UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon
| | - Alexia Duveau
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Rabia Bouali-Benazzouz
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Karine Massé
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Joseph Mattar
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon
| | - Louison Brochoire
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Pascal Fossat
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Eric Boué-Grabot
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Walid Hleihel
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon; Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon
| | - Marc Landry
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
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William D. Willis, Jr, MD, PhD Memorial Lecture: The evolutionary history of nerve growth factor and nociception. Pain 2020; 161 Suppl 1:S36-S47. [PMID: 33090738 PMCID: PMC7434219 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Leland SE, Straeter PA, Gnadt BJ. The Role of the IACUC in the Absence of Regulatory Guidance. ILAR J 2020; 60:95-104. [PMID: 31037300 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilz003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) occasionally face regulatory requirements for which clear guidance may not be available. Either the regulating body has chosen not to provide such guidance or the guidance may be minimal or even ambiguous. Such guidance may be desirable when institutions have research needs, in which case IACUCs are left to their own interpretation to develop internal policies, procedures, and documents. Typically, this is approached by an IACUC working with partners in the laboratory animal community and may involve input from regulators who can provide context as well as parameters to consider. Over time, shared institutional experiences and documentation coalesce to create a general framework that provides a baseline for others to consider as templates for further policy elaboration or development. The strength of this approach relies on the ability to share freely, including having unobstructed access to such documents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart E Leland
- Office of the Dean for Research, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
| | - Pamela A Straeter
- Department of Veterinary Resources, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Beverly Jan Gnadt
- University Laboratory Animal Resources, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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37
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Smith ESJ, Park TJ, Lewin GR. Independent evolution of pain insensitivity in African mole-rats: origins and mechanisms. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020; 206:313-325. [PMID: 32206859 PMCID: PMC7192887 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01414-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is famous for its longevity and unusual physiology. This eusocial species that lives in highly ordered and hierarchical colonies with a single breeding queen, also discovered secrets enabling somewhat pain-free living around 20 million years ago. Unlike most mammals, naked mole-rats do not feel the burn of chili pepper's active ingredient, capsaicin, nor the sting of acid. Indeed, by accumulating mutations in genes encoding proteins that are only now being exploited as targets for new pain therapies (the nerve growth factor receptor TrkA and voltage-gated sodium channel, NaV1.7), this species mastered the art of analgesia before humans evolved. Recently, we have identified pain insensitivity as a trait shared by several closely related African mole-rat species. One of these African mole-rats, the Highveld mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus pretoriae), is uniquely completely impervious and pain free when confronted with electrophilic compounds that activate the TRPA1 ion channel. The Highveld mole-rat has evolved a biophysical mechanism to shut down the activation of sensory neurons that drive pain. In this review, we will show how mole-rats have evolved pain insensitivity as well as discussing what the proximate factors may have been that led to the evolution of pain-free traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan St John Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1PD, UK
| | - Thomas J Park
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gary R Lewin
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Str. 10, D-13125, Berlin, Germany.
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38
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Dumoulin A, Schmidt H, Rathjen FG. Sensory Neurons: The Formation of T-Shaped Branches Is Dependent on a cGMP-Dependent Signaling Cascade. Neuroscientist 2020; 27:47-57. [PMID: 32321356 DOI: 10.1177/1073858420913844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Axon bifurcation - a specific form of branching of somatosensory axons characterized by the splitting of the growth cone - is mediated by a cGMP-dependent signaling cascade composed of the extracellular ligand CNP (C-type natriuretic peptide), the transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase Npr2 (natriuretic peptide receptor 2), and the kinase cGKI (cGMP-dependent protein kinase I). In the absence of any one of these components, the formation of T-shaped axonal branches is impaired in neurons from DRGs (dorsal root ganglia), CSGs (cranial sensory ganglia) and MTNs (mesencephalic trigeminal neurons) in the murine spinal cord or hindbrain. Instead, axons from DRGs or from CSGs extend only either in an ascending or descending direction, while axons from MTNs either elongate within the hindbrain or extend via the trigeminal ganglion to the masseter muscles. Collateral formation from non-bifurcating stem axons is not affected by impaired cGMP signaling. Activation of Npr2 requires both binding of the ligand CNP as well as phosphorylation of serine and threonine residues at the juxtamembrane regions of the receptor. The absence of bifurcation results in an altered shape of termination fields of sensory afferents in the spinal cord and resulted in impaired noxious heat sensation and nociception whereas motor coordination appeared normal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Dumoulin
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hannes Schmidt
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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39
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Tayeb Z, Bose R, Dragomir A, Osborn LE, Thakor NV, Cheng G. Decoding of Pain Perception using EEG Signals for a Real-Time Reflex System in Prostheses: A Case Study. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5606. [PMID: 32221336 PMCID: PMC7101312 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62525-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent times, we have witnessed a push towards restoring sensory perception to upper-limb amputees, which includes the whole spectrum from gentle touch to noxious stimuli. These are essential components for body protection as well as for restoring the sense of embodiment. Notwithstanding the considerable advances that have been made in designing suitable sensors and restoring tactile perceptions, pain perception dynamics and its decoding using effective bio-markers, are still not fully understood. Here, using electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, we identified and validated a spatio-temporal signature of brain activity during innocuous, moderately more intense, and noxious stimulation of an amputee's phantom limb using transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS). Based on the spatio-temporal EEG features, we developed a system for detecting pain perception and reaction in the brain, which successfully classified three different stimulation conditions with a test accuracy of 94.66%, and we investigated the cortical activity in response to sensory stimuli in these conditions. Our findings suggest that the noxious stimulation activates the pre-motor cortex with the highest activation shown in the central cortex (Cz electrode) between 450 ms and 750 ms post-stimulation, whereas the highest activation for the moderately intense stimulation was found in the parietal lobe (P2, P4, and P6 electrodes). Further, we localized the cortical sources and observed early strong activation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) corresponding to the noxious stimulus condition. Moreover, activation of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was observed during the noxious sensation. Overall, although this is a single case study, this work presents a novel approach and a first attempt to analyze and classify neural activity when restoring sensory perception to amputees, which could chart a route ahead for designing a real-time pain reaction system in upper-limb prostheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zied Tayeb
- Institute for Cognitive Systems, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333, München, Germany.
| | - Rohit Bose
- N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, 28 Medical Dr. 05-COR, Singapore, 117456, Singapore
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Andrei Dragomir
- N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, 28 Medical Dr. 05-COR, Singapore, 117456, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, 3517 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX, 77204, USA
| | - Luke E Osborn
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Research Exploratory Development, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA
| | - Nitish V Thakor
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Engineering Drive 3, 04-08, Singapore, 117583, Singapore
| | - Gordon Cheng
- Institute for Cognitive Systems, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333, München, Germany
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40
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Cohen E, Kumar R, Zinger T, Priel A, Treinin M. GTL-1, a Calcium Activated TRPM Channel, Enhances Nociception. Front Pharmacol 2020; 10:1567. [PMID: 32009965 PMCID: PMC6978279 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
C. elegans PVD neurons are conserved for morphology, function and molecular determinants with mammalian polymodal nociceptors. Functions of polymodal nociceptors require activities of multiple ion channels and receptors including members of the TRP family. GTL-1, a member of the TRPM subclass of TRP channels, was previously shown to amplify PVD-mediated responses to optogenetic stimuli. Here we characterize effects of GTL-1 on PVD-mediated behavioral responses to noxious stimuli. We show that GTL-1 is required within PVD for the immediate and enduring response to thermal (cold) stimuli. But, find no significant reduction in percent animals responding to single or to repeated noxious mechanical stimuli. Nevertheless, PVD specific knockdown of gtl-1expression reduces the magnitude of responses to noxious mechanical stimuli. To understand GTL-1's mechanism of action we expressed it in HEK293 cells. Our results show GTL-1-dependent currents induced by activation of a Gαq-coupled Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD). In addition, using excised patches we show that GTL-1 can be activated by internal calcium. Our results are consistent with indirect, calcium dependent, activation of GTL-1 by noxious stimuli. This mechanism explains the GTL-1-dependent amplification of responses to multiple stimuli optogenetic and sensory in PVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Cohen
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah-Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, The Institute for Drug Research, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Tal Zinger
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah-Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Avi Priel
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, The Institute for Drug Research, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Millet Treinin
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah-Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
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41
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42
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van den Bos R. Awareness in Fish. Anim Welf 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-41675-1_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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43
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Eigenbrod O, Debus KY, Reznick J, Bennett NC, Sánchez-Carranza O, Omerbašić D, Hart DW, Barker AJ, Zhong W, Lutermann H, Katandukila JV, Mgode G, Park TJ, Lewin GR. Rapid molecular evolution of pain insensitivity in multiple African rodents. Science 2019; 364:852-859. [PMID: 31147513 DOI: 10.1126/science.aau0236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Noxious substances, called algogens, cause pain and are used as defensive weapons by plants and stinging insects. We identified four previously unknown instances of algogen-insensitivity by screening eight African rodent species related to the naked mole-rat with the painful substances capsaicin, acid (hydrogen chloride, pH 3.5), and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC). Using RNA sequencing, we traced the emergence of sequence variants in transduction channels, like transient receptor potential channel TRPA1 and voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7, that accompany algogen insensitivity. In addition, the AITC-insensitive highveld mole-rat exhibited overexpression of the leak channel NALCN (sodium leak channel, nonselective), ablating AITC detection by nociceptors. These molecular changes likely rendered highveld mole-rats immune to the stings of the Natal droptail ant. Our study reveals how evolution can be used as a discovery tool to find molecular mechanisms that shut down pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Eigenbrod
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karlien Y Debus
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jane Reznick
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
| | - Oscar Sánchez-Carranza
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Damir Omerbašić
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel W Hart
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
| | - Alison J Barker
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wei Zhong
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Heike Lutermann
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
| | - Jestina V Katandukila
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa.,University of Dar es Salaam, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 35064, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Georgies Mgode
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Thomas J Park
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gary R Lewin
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany. .,NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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44
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Meiser S, Ashida G, Kretzberg J. Non-synaptic Plasticity in Leech Touch Cells. Front Physiol 2019; 10:1444. [PMID: 31827443 PMCID: PMC6890822 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of Na+/K+-pumps in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity has been described in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Here, we provide evidence that the Na+/K+-pump is also involved in activity-dependent non-synaptic cellular plasticity in leech sensory neurons. We show that the resting membrane potential (RMP) of T cells hyperpolarizes in response to repeated somatic current injection, while at the same time their spike count (SC) and the input resistance (IR) increase. Our Hodgkin–Huxley-type neuron model, adjusted to physiological T cell properties, suggests that repetitive action potential discharges lead to increased Na+/K+-pump activity, which then hyperpolarizes the RMP. In consequence, a slow, non-inactivating current decreases, which is presumably mediated by voltage-dependent, low-threshold potassium channels. Closing of these putative M-type channels due to hyperpolarization of the resting potential increases the IR of the cell, leading to a larger number of spikes. By this mechanism, the response behavior switches from rapidly to slowly adapting spiking. These changes in spiking behavior also effect other T cells on the same side of the ganglion, which are connected via a combination of electrical and chemical synapses. An increased SC in the presynaptic T cell results in larger postsynaptic responses (PRs) in the other T cells. However, when the number of elicited presynaptic spikes is kept constant, the PR does not change. These results suggest that T cells change their responses in an activity-dependent manner through non-synaptic rather than synaptic plasticity. These changes might act as a gain-control mechanism. Depending on the previous activity, this gain could scale the relative impacts of synaptic inputs from other mechanoreceptors, versus the spike responses to tactile skin stimulation. This multi-tasking ability, and its flexible adaptation to previous activity, might make the T cell a key player in a preparatory network, enabling the leech to perform fast behavioral reactions to skin stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Meiser
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Go Ashida
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Kretzberg
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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45
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Calvo M, Davies AJ, Hébert HL, Weir GA, Chesler EJ, Finnerup NB, Levitt RC, Smith BH, Neely GG, Costigan M, Bennett DL. The Genetics of Neuropathic Pain from Model Organisms to Clinical Application. Neuron 2019; 104:637-653. [PMID: 31751545 PMCID: PMC6868508 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neuropathic pain (NeuP) arises due to injury of the somatosensory nervous system and is both common and disabling, rendering an urgent need for non-addictive, effective new therapies. Given the high evolutionary conservation of pain, investigative approaches from Drosophila mutagenesis to human Mendelian genetics have aided our understanding of the maladaptive plasticity underlying NeuP. Successes include the identification of ion channel variants causing hyper-excitability and the importance of neuro-immune signaling. Recent developments encompass improved sensory phenotyping in animal models and patients, brain imaging, and electrophysiology-based pain biomarkers, the collection of large well-phenotyped population cohorts, neurons derived from patient stem cells, and high-precision CRISPR generated genetic editing. We will discuss how to harness these resources to understand the pathophysiological drivers of NeuP, define its relationship with comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, and explore how to apply these findings to the prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of NeuP in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Calvo
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alexander J Davies
- Neural Injury Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Harry L Hébert
- Chronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Mackenzie Building, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Greg A Weir
- Neural Injury Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Nanna B Finnerup
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Roy C Levitt
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management, and John T. MacDonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Blair H Smith
- Chronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Mackenzie Building, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - G Gregory Neely
- Dr. John and Anne Chong Lab for Functional Genomics, Camperdown, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Costigan
- Departments of Anesthesia and Neurobiology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - David L Bennett
- Neural Injury Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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46
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Abstract
In order to survive, animals must avoid injury and be able to detect potentially damaging stimuli via nociceptive mechanisms. If the injury is accompanied by a negative affective component, future behaviour should be altered and one can conclude the animal experienced the discomfort associated with pain. Fishes are the most successful vertebrate group when considering the number of species that have filled a variety of aquatic niches. The empirical evidence for nociception in fishes from the underlying molecular biology, neurobiology and anatomy of nociceptors through to whole animal behavioural responses is reviewed to demonstrate the evolutionary conservation of nociception and pain from invertebrates to vertebrates. Studies in fish have shown that the biology of the nociceptive system is strikingly similar to that found in mammals. Further, potentially painful events result in behavioural and physiological changes such as reduced activity, guarding behaviour, suspension of normal behaviour, increased ventilation rate and abnormal behaviours which are all prevented by the use of pain-relieving drugs. Fish also perform competing tasks less well when treated with a putative painful stimulus. Therefore, there is ample evidence to demonstrate that it is highly likely that fish experience pain and that pain-related behavioural changes are conserved across vertebrates. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of mechanisms and behaviour important for pain'.
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47
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Pattison LA, Callejo G, St John Smith E. Evolution of acid nociception: ion channels and receptors for detecting acid. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190291. [PMID: 31544616 PMCID: PMC6790391 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nociceptors, i.e. sensory neurons tuned to detect noxious stimuli, are found in numerous phyla of the Animalia kingdom and are often polymodal, responding to a variety of stimuli, e.g. heat, cold, pressure and chemicals, such as acid. Owing to the ability of protons to have a profound effect on ionic homeostasis and damage macromolecular structures, it is no wonder that the ability to detect acid is conserved across many species. To detect changes in pH, nociceptors are equipped with an assortment of different acid sensors, some of which can detect mild changes in pH, such as the acid-sensing ion channels, proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptors and several two-pore potassium channels, whereas others, such as the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 ion channel, require larger shifts in pH. This review will discuss the evolution of acid sensation and the different mechanisms by which nociceptors can detect acid. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of mechanisms and behaviour important for pain'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ewan St John Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK
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48
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Williams CJA, James LE, Bertelsen MF, Wang T. Analgesia for non-mammalian vertebrates. CURRENT OPINION IN PHYSIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2019.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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49
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Abstract
The poor translational record of pain research has suggested to some observers that species differences in pain biology might be to blame. In this review, I consider the evidence for species similarity and differences in the pain research literature. Impressive feats of translation have been demonstrated in relation to certain genetic effects, social modulation of pain and pain memory. The degree to which pain biology in rodents predicts pain biology in humans has important implications both for evolutionary accounts of pain, but also the success of analgesic drug development going forward. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of mechanisms and behaviour important for pain'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Mogil
- Departments of Psychology and Anesthesia, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1
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50
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Adamo SA, McMillan LE. Listening to your gut: immune challenge to the gut sensitizes body wall nociception in the caterpillar Manduca sexta. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190278. [PMID: 31544611 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune-nociceptor connections are found in animals across phyla. Local inflammation and/or damage results in increased nociceptive sensitivity of the affected area. However, in mammals, immune responses far from peripheral nociceptors, such as immune responses in the gut, produce a general increase in peripheral nociceptive sensitivity. This phenomenon has not, to our knowledge, been found in other animal groups. We found that consuming heat-killed pathogens reduced the tactile force needed to induce a defensive strike in the caterpillar Manduca sexta. This increase in the nociceptive sensitivity of the body wall is probably part of the reconfiguration of behaviour and physiology that occurs during an immune response (e.g. sickness behaviour). This increase may help enhance anti-predator behaviour as molecular resources are shifted towards the immune system. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of mechanisms and behaviour important for pain'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley A Adamo
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H4R2
| | - Laura E McMillan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H4R2
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