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Drinovac Vlah V, Bach-Rojecky L. Mirror-Image Pain Update: Complex Interactions Between Central and Peripheral Mechanisms. Mol Neurobiol 2024:10.1007/s12035-024-04102-x. [PMID: 38602655 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-04102-x] [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: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The appearance of contralateral effects after unilateral injury has been shown in various experimental pain models, as well as in clinics. They consist of a diversity of phenomena in contralateral peripheral nerves, sensory ganglia, or spinal cord: from structural changes and altered gene or protein expression to functional consequences such as the development of mirror-image pain (MP). Although MP is a well-documented phenomenon, the exact molecular mechanism underlying the induction and maintenance of mirror-like spread of pain is still an unresolved challenge. MP has generally been explained by central sensitization mechanisms leading to facilitation of pain impulse transfer through neural connections between the two sides of the central nervous system. On the contrary, the peripheral nervous system (PNS) was usually regarded unlikely to evoke such a symmetrical phenomenon. However, recent findings provided evidence that events in the PNS could play a significant role in MP induction. This manuscript provides an updated and comprehensive synthesis of the MP phenomenon and summarizes the available data on the mechanisms. A more detailed focus is placed on reported evidence for peripheral mechanisms behind the MP phenomenon, which were not reviewed up to now.
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Affiliation(s)
- Višnja Drinovac Vlah
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Domagojeva 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lidija Bach-Rojecky
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Domagojeva 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
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2
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Bakalkin G. The left-right side-specific endocrine signaling in the effects of brain lesions: questioning of the neurological dogma. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:545. [PMID: 36219330 PMCID: PMC9553812 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04576-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Each cerebral hemisphere is functionally connected to the contralateral side of the body through the decussating neural tracts. The crossed neural pathways set a basis for contralateral effects of brain injury such hemiparesis and hemiplegia as it has been already noted by Hippocrates. Recent studies demonstrated that, in addition to neural mechanisms, the contralateral effects of brain lesions are mediated through the humoral pathway by neurohormones that produce either the left or right side-specific effects. The side-specific humoral signaling defines whether the left or right limbs are affected after a unilateral brain injury. The hormonal signals are released by the pituitary gland and may operate through their receptors that are lateralized in the spinal cord and involved in the side-specific control of symmetric neurocircuits innervating the left and right limbs. Identification of features and a proportion of neurological deficits transmitted by neurohormonal signals vs. those mediated by neural pathways is essential for better understanding of mechanisms of brain trauma and stroke and development of new therapies. In a biological context, the left–right side-specific neuroendocrine signaling may be fundamental for the control of the left- and right-sided processes in bilaterally symmetric animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgy Bakalkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Box 591, SE-751 24, Uppsala, Sweden.
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3
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Lukoyanov N, Watanabe H, Carvalho LS, Kononenko O, Sarkisyan D, Zhang M, Andersen MS, Lukoyanova EA, Galatenko V, Tonevitsky A, Bazov I, Iakovleva T, Schouenborg J, Bakalkin G. Left-right side-specific endocrine signaling complements neural pathways to mediate acute asymmetric effects of brain injury. eLife 2021; 10:e65247. [PMID: 34372969 PMCID: PMC8354641 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain injuries can interrupt descending neural pathways that convey motor commands from the cortex to spinal motoneurons. Here, we demonstrate that a unilateral injury of the hindlimb sensorimotor cortex of rats with completely transected thoracic spinal cord produces hindlimb postural asymmetry with contralateral flexion and asymmetric hindlimb withdrawal reflexes within 3 hr, as well as asymmetry in gene expression patterns in the lumbar spinal cord. The injury-induced postural effects were abolished by hypophysectomy and were mimicked by transfusion of serum from animals with brain injury. Administration of the pituitary neurohormones β-endorphin or Arg-vasopressin-induced side-specific hindlimb responses in naive animals, while antagonists of the opioid and vasopressin receptors blocked hindlimb postural asymmetry in rats with brain injury. Thus, in addition to the well-established involvement of motor pathways descending from the brain to spinal circuits, the side-specific humoral signaling may also add to postural and reflex asymmetries seen after brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Lukoyanov
- Departamento de Biomedicina da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e CelularPortoPortugal
| | - Hiroyuki Watanabe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Liliana S Carvalho
- Departamento de Biomedicina da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e CelularPortoPortugal
| | - Olga Kononenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Daniil Sarkisyan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Mengliang Zhang
- Neuronano Research Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund UniversityLundSweden
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern DenmarkOdenseDenmark
| | | | - Elena A Lukoyanova
- Departamento de Biomedicina da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e CelularPortoPortugal
| | - Vladimir Galatenko
- Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscowRussian Federation
| | - Alex Tonevitsky
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of EconomicsMoscowRussian Federation
- Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RASMoscowRussian Federation
| | - Igor Bazov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Tatiana Iakovleva
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Jens Schouenborg
- Neuronano Research Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Georgy Bakalkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
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Watanabe H, Nosova O, Sarkisyan D, Storm Andersen M, Carvalho L, Galatenko V, Bazov I, Lukoyanov N, Maia GH, Hallberg M, Zhang M, Schouenborg J, Bakalkin G. Left-Right Side-Specific Neuropeptide Mechanism Mediates Contralateral Responses to a Unilateral Brain Injury. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0548-20.2021. [PMID: 33903183 PMCID: PMC8152370 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0548-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are implicated in control of lateralized processes in the brain. A unilateral brain injury (UBI) causes the contralesional sensorimotor deficits. To examine whether opioid neuropeptides mediate UBI induced asymmetric processes we compared effects of opioid antagonists on the contralesional and ipsilesional hindlimb responses to the left-sided and right-sided injury in rats. UBI induced hindlimb postural asymmetry (HL-PA) with the contralesional hindlimb flexion, and activated contralesional withdrawal reflex of extensor digitorum longus (EDL) evoked by electrical stimulation and recorded with EMG technique. No effects on the interossei (Int) and peroneaus longus (PL) were evident. The general opioid antagonist naloxone blocked postural effects, did not change EDL asymmetry while uncovered cryptic asymmetry in the PL and Int reflexes induced by UBI. Thus, the spinal opioid system may either mediate or counteract the injury effects. Strikingly, effects of selective opioid antagonists were the injury side-specific. The μ-antagonist β-funaltrexamine (FNA) and κ-antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (BNI) reduced postural asymmetry after the right but not left UBI. In contrast, the δ-antagonist naltrindole (NTI) inhibited HL-PA after the left but not right-side brain injury. The opioid gene expression and opioid peptides were lateralized in the lumbar spinal cord, and coordination between expression of the opioid and neuroplasticity-related genes was impaired by UBI that together may underlie the side-specific effects of the antagonists. We suggest that mirror-symmetric neural circuits that mediate effects of left and right brain injury on the contralesional hindlimbs are differentially controlled by the lateralized opioid system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Watanabe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 751 24
| | - Olga Nosova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 751 24
| | - Daniil Sarkisyan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 751 24
| | | | - Liliana Carvalho
- Departamento de Biomedicina da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal, 4200-135
| | - Vladimir Galatenko
- Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 119991
| | - Igor Bazov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 751 24
| | - Nikolay Lukoyanov
- Departamento de Biomedicina da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal, 4200-135
- Medibrain, Vila do Conde, Porto, Portugal, 4480-807
- Brain Research Institute, Porto, Portugal, 4200-135
| | - Gisela H Maia
- Medibrain, Vila do Conde, Porto, Portugal, 4480-807
- Brain Research Institute, Porto, Portugal, 4200-135
- Departamento de Biomedicina da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal, 4200-135
| | - Mathias Hallberg
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 751 24
| | - Mengliang Zhang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, 5230
- Neuronano Research Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 223 81
| | - Jens Schouenborg
- Neuronano Research Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 223 81
| | - Georgy Bakalkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 751 24
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Watanabe H, Nosova O, Sarkisyan D, Andersen MS, Zhang M, Rorick-Kehn L, Clausen F, Gawel K, Kehr J, Hallberg M, Schouenborg J, Marklund N, Bakalkin G. Ipsilesional versus contralesional postural deficits induced by unilateral brain trauma: a side reversal by opioid mechanism. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa208. [PMID: 33364602 PMCID: PMC7749794 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Unilateral traumatic brain injury and stroke result in asymmetric postural and motor deficits including contralateral hemiplegia and hemiparesis. In animals, a localized unilateral brain injury recapitulates the human upper motor neuron syndrome in the formation of hindlimb postural asymmetry with contralesional limb flexion and the asymmetry of hindlimb nociceptive withdrawal reflexes. The current view is that these effects are developed due to aberrant activity of motor pathways that descend from the brain into the spinal cord. These pathways and their target spinal circuits may be regulated by local neurohormonal systems that may also mediate effects of brain injury. Here, we evaluate if a unilateral traumatic brain injury induces hindlimb postural asymmetry, a model of postural deficits, and if this asymmetry is spinally encoded and mediated by the endogenous opioid system in rats. A unilateral right-sided controlled cortical impact, a model of clinical focal traumatic brain injury was centred over the sensorimotor cortex and was observed to induce hindlimb postural asymmetry with contralateral limb flexion. The asymmetry persisted after complete spinal cord transection, implicating local neurocircuitry in the development of the deficits. Administration of the general opioid antagonist naloxone and μ-antagonist β-funaltrexamine blocked the formation of postural asymmetry. Surprisingly, κ-antagonists nor-binaltorphimine and LY2444296 did not affect the asymmetry magnitude but reversed the flexion side; instead of contralesional (left) hindlimb flexion the ipsilesional (right) limb was flexed. The postural effects of the right-side cortical injury were mimicked in animals with intact brain via intrathecal administration of the opioid κ-agonist (2)-(trans)-3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidiny)-cyclohexyl]benzeneacetamide that induced hindlimb postural asymmetry with left limb flexion. The δ-antagonist naltrindole produced no effect on the contralesional (left) flexion but inhibited the formation of the ipsilesional (right) limb flexion in brain-injured rats that were treated with κ-antagonist. The effects of the antagonists were evident before and after spinal cord transection. We concluded that the focal traumatic brain injury-induced postural asymmetry was encoded at the spinal level, and was blocked or its side was reversed by administration of opioid antagonists. The findings suggest that the balance in activity of the mirror symmetric spinal neural circuits regulating contraction of the left and right hindlimb muscles is controlled by different subtypes of opioid receptors; and that this equilibrium is impaired after unilateral brain trauma through side-specific opioid mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Watanabe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Olga Nosova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Daniil Sarkisyan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Mengliang Zhang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Linda Rorick-Kehn
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN 46285, USA
| | - Fredrik Clausen
- Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kinga Gawel
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Jan Kehr
- Department of Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mathias Hallberg
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jens Schouenborg
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Neuronano Research Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Niklas Marklund
- Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Georgy Bakalkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Kubíčková L, Klusáková I, Dubový P. Bilateral activation of glial cells and cellular distribution of the chemokine CCL2 and its receptor CCR2 in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis of trigeminal neuropathic pain model. Histochem Cell Biol 2020; 153:239-255. [PMID: 32020274 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-020-01850-4] [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] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Glial cells activated by peripheral nerve injury contribute to the induction and maintenance of neuropathic pain by releasing neuromodulating cytokines and chemokines. We investigated the activation of microglia and astrocytes as well as the cellular distribution of the chemokine CCL2 and its receptor CCR2 in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (TSC) ipsilateral and contralateral to infraorbital nerve ligature (IONL). The left infraorbital nerve was ligated under aseptic conditions, and sham controls were operated without nerve ligature. Tactile hypersensitivity was significantly increased bilaterally in vibrissal pads of both sham- and IONL-operated animals from day 1 to 7 and tended to normalize in sham controls surviving for 14 days. Activated microglial cells significantly increased bilaterally in the TSC of both sham- and IONL-operated animals with a marked but gradual increase in the ipsilateral TSC from 1 to 7 days followed by a decrease by day 14. In contrast, robust activation of astrocytes was found bilaterally in the TSC of IONL-operated rats from 3 to 14 days with a transient activation in the ipsilateral TSC of sham-operated animals. Cellular distribution of CCL2 varied with survival time. CCL2 immunofluorescence was detected in neurons within 3 days and in astrocytes at later time points. In contrast, CCR2 was found only in astrocytes at all time points with CCR2 intensity being dominant in the ipsilateral TSC. In summary, our results reveal bilateral activation of microglial cells and astrocytes as well as changes in the cellular distribution of CCL2 and its receptor CCR2 in the TSC during the development and maintenance of orofacial neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Kubíčková
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular and Molecular Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ilona Klusáková
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular and Molecular Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Dubový
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular and Molecular Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
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