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Horing B, Kerkemeyer M, Büchel C. Temporal Summation of the Thermal Grill Illusion is Comparable to That Observed Following Noxious Heat. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:104432. [PMID: 37995821 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.11.015] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
The thermal grill illusion (TGI) describes a peculiar or even painful percept caused by non-noxious, interlaced warm and cold stimuli. It involves the glutamatergic system and is affected in putatively nociplastic syndromes such as fibromyalgia. The glutamatergic system is also involved in wind-up, that is, the increased activation of spinal neurons following repeated noxious stimulation leading to a temporal summation of perceived stimulus intensity. Here we combined both stimulation methods to further investigate whether non-noxious stimuli as employed in the TGI can lead to a similar summation of perceived stimulus intensity. In an experiment using a full crossover within-subjects design, 35 healthy volunteers received repeated stimuli, either in a thermal grill configuration or simply noxious heat. Both modalities were presented as sequences of 1 lead-in contact, followed by 11 consecutive contacts (each between 1.5 and 3 seconds), with either fast repetition ("wind-up" condition), or 2 slow-repeating control conditions. The main analyses concerned the relative pre-to-post sequence changes to quantify putatively wind-up-related effects. Pain ratings and skin conductance level (SCL) increased more strongly in "wind-up" than in control conditions. Interestingly, wind-up-related effects were of the same magnitude in TGI as compared to the pain control modality. Further, contact-by-contact SCL tracked how the effect emerged over time. These results indicate that although TGI does not involve noxious stimuli it is amenable to temporal summation and wind-up-like processes. Since both phenomena involve the glutamatergic system, the combination of wind-up with the TGI could yield a promising tool for the investigation of chronic pain conditions. PERSPECTIVE: Using thermal stimuli in an experimental protocol to combine 1) the TGI (painful or peculiar percept from simultaneous cold/warm stimulation) and 2) wind-up (increase in stimulus intensity after repeated exposure) holds promise to investigate pain and thermoceptive mechanisms, and chronic pain conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Horing
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kerkemeyer
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Büchel
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Velasco E, Zaforas M, Acosta MC, Gallar J, Aguilar J. Ocular surface information seen from the somatosensory thalamus and cortex. J Physiol 2024; 602:1405-1426. [PMID: 38457332 DOI: 10.1113/jp285008] [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: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Ocular Surface (OS) somatosensory innervation detects external stimuli producing perceptions, such as pain or dryness, the most relevant symptoms in many OS pathologies. Nevertheless, little is known about the central nervous system circuits involved in these perceptions, and how they integrate multimodal inputs in general. Here, we aim to describe the thalamic and cortical activity in response to OS stimulation of different modalities. Electrophysiological extracellular recordings in anaesthetized rats were used to record neural activity, while saline drops at different temperatures were applied to stimulate the OS. Neurons were recorded in the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal ganglion (TG, 49 units), the thalamic VPM-POm nuclei representing the face (Th, 69 units) and the primary somatosensory cortex (S1, 101 units). The precise locations for Th and S1 neurons receiving OS information are reported here for the first time. Interestingly, all recorded nuclei encode modality both at the single neuron and population levels, with noxious stimulation producing a qualitatively different activity profile from other modalities. Moreover, neurons responding to new combinations of stimulus modalities not present in the peripheral TG subsequently appear in Th and S1, being organized in space through the formation of clusters. Besides, neurons that present higher multimodality display higher spontaneous activity. These results constitute the first anatomical and functional characterization of the thalamocortical representation of the OS. Furthermore, they provide insight into how information from different modalities gets integrated from the peripheral nervous system into the complex cortical networks of the brain. KEY POINTS: Anatomical location of thalamic and cortical ocular surface representation. Thalamic and cortical neuronal responses to multimodal stimulation of the ocular surface. Increasing functional complexity along trigeminal neuroaxis. Proposal of a new perspective on how peripheral activity shapes central nervous system function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Velasco
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Neuroscience in Physiotherapy (NiP), Independent Research Group, Elche, Spain
- The European University of Brain and Technology, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
| | - Marta Zaforas
- Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Experimental, Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos SESCAM, Toledo, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Castilla-La Mancha (IDISCAM), Spain
| | - M Carmen Acosta
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- The European University of Brain and Technology, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
| | - Juana Gallar
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- The European University of Brain and Technology, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
| | - Juan Aguilar
- Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Experimental, Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos SESCAM, Toledo, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Castilla-La Mancha (IDISCAM), Spain
- Grupo de Investigación Multidisciplinar en Cuidados, Facultad de Fisioterapia y Enfermería, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
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3
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Felix-Ortiz AC, Terrell JM, Gonzalez C, Msengi HD, Boggan MB, Ramos AR, Magalhães G, Burgos-Robles A. Prefrontal Regulation of Safety Learning during Ethologically Relevant Thermal Threat. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0140-23.2024. [PMID: 38272673 PMCID: PMC10903390 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0140-23.2024] [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: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Learning and adaptation during sources of threat and safety are critical mechanisms for survival. The prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been broadly implicated in the processing of threat and safety. However, how these regions regulate threat and safety during naturalistic conditions involving thermal challenge still remains elusive. To examine this issue, we developed a novel paradigm in which adult mice learned that a particular zone that was identified with visuospatial cues was associated with either a noxious cold temperature ("threat zone") or a pleasant warm temperature ("safety zone"). This led to the rapid development of avoidance behavior when the zone was paired with cold threat or approach behavior when the zone was paired with warm safety. During a long-term test without further thermal reinforcement, mice continued to exhibit robust avoidance or approach to the zone of interest, indicating that enduring spatial-based memories were formed to represent the thermal threat and thermal safety zones. Optogenetic experiments revealed that neural activity in PL and IL was not essential for establishing the memory for the threat zone. However, PL and IL activity bidirectionally regulated memory formation for the safety zone. While IL activity promoted safety memory during normal conditions, PL activity suppressed safety memory especially after a stress pretreatment. Therefore, a working model is proposed in which balanced activity between PL and IL is favorable for safety memory formation, whereas unbalanced activity between these brain regions is detrimental for safety memory after stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada C Felix-Ortiz
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Jaelyn M Terrell
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Carolina Gonzalez
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Hope D Msengi
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Miranda B Boggan
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Angelica R Ramos
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Gabrielle Magalhães
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
- Brain Health Consortium, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
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4
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Yao D, Chen Y, Chen G. The role of pain modulation pathway and related brain regions in pain. Rev Neurosci 2023; 34:899-914. [PMID: 37288945 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2023-0037] [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: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Pain is a multifaceted process that encompasses unpleasant sensory and emotional experiences. The essence of the pain process is aversion, or perceived negative emotion. Central sensitization plays a significant role in initiating and perpetuating of chronic pain. Melzack proposed the concept of the "pain matrix", in which brain regions associated with pain form an interconnected network, rather than being controlled by a singular brain region. This review aims to investigate distinct brain regions involved in pain and their interconnections. In addition, it also sheds light on the reciprocal connectivity between the ascending and descending pathways that participate in pain modulation. We review the involvement of various brain areas during pain and focus on understanding the connections among them, which can contribute to a better understanding of pain mechanisms and provide opportunities for further research on therapies for improved pain management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Yao
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Yeru Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Gang Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
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5
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Felix-Ortiz AC, Terrell JM, Gonzalez C, Msengi HD, Ramos AR, Boggan MB, Lopez-Pesina SM, Magalhães G, Burgos-Robles A. The infralimbic and prelimbic cortical areas bidirectionally regulate safety learning during normal and stress conditions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.05.539516. [PMID: 37205585 PMCID: PMC10187296 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.05.539516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Safety learning is a critical function for behavioral adaptation, environmental fitness, and mental health. Animal models have implicated the prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in safety learning. However, whether these regions differentially contribute to safety learning and how their contributions become affected by stress still remain poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated these issues using a novel semi-naturalistic mouse model for threat and safety learning. As mice navigated within a test arena, they learned that specific zones were associated with either noxious cold temperatures ("threat") or pleasant warm temperatures ("safety"). Optogenetic-mediated inhibition revealed critical roles for the IL and PL regions for selectively controlling safety learning during these naturalistic conditions. This form of safety learning was also highly susceptible to stress pre-exposure, and while IL inhibition mimicked the deficits produced by stress, PL inhibition fully rescued safety learning in stress-exposed mice. Collectively, these findings indicate that IL and PL bidirectionally regulate safety learning during naturalistic situations, with the IL region promoting this function and the PL region suppressing it, especially after stress. A model of balanced IL and PL activity is proposed as a fundamental mechanism for controlling safety learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada C. Felix-Ortiz
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
| | - Jaelyn M. Terrell
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
| | - Carolina Gonzalez
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
| | - Hope D. Msengi
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
| | - Angelica R. Ramos
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
| | - Miranda B. Boggan
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
| | - Savannah M. Lopez-Pesina
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
| | - Gabrielle Magalhães
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States, 02215
| | - Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
- Brain Health Consortium, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249
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6
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Zayan U, Caccialupi Da Prato L, Muscatelli F, Matarazzo V. Modulation of the thermosensory system by oxytocin. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 15:1075305. [PMID: 36698777 PMCID: PMC9868264 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1075305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a neurohormone involved early in neurodevelopment and is implicated in multiple functions, including sensory modulation. Evidence of such modulation has been observed for different sensory modalities in both healthy and pathological conditions. This review summarizes the pleiotropic modulation that OT can exercise on an often overlooked sensory system: thermosensation. This system allows us to sense temperature variations and compensate for the variation to maintain a stable core body temperature. Oxytocin modulates autonomic and behavioral mechanisms underlying thermoregulation at both central and peripheral levels. Hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity for different sensory modalities, including thermosensitivity, is a common feature in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), recapitulated in several ASD mouse models. These sensory dysregulations occur early in post-natal development and are correlated with dysregulation of the oxytocinergic system. In this study, we discussed the potential link between thermosensory atypia and the dysregulation of the oxytocinergic system in ASD.
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Abstract
Temperature is a fundamental sensory modality separate from touch, with dedicated receptor channels and primary afferent neurons for cool and warm1-3. Unlike for other modalities, however, the cortical encoding of temperature remains unknown, with very few cortical neurons reported that respond to non-painful temperature, and the presence of a 'thermal cortex' is debated4-8. Here, using widefield and two-photon calcium imaging in the mouse forepaw system, we identify cortical neurons that respond to cooling and/or warming with distinct spatial and temporal response properties. We observed a representation of cool, but not warm, in the primary somatosensory cortex, but cool and warm in the posterior insular cortex (pIC). The representation of thermal information in pIC is robust and somatotopically arranged, and reversible manipulations show a profound impact on thermal perception. Despite being positioned along the same one-dimensional sensory axis, the encoding of cool and that of warm are distinct, both in highly and broadly tuned neurons. Together, our results show that pIC contains the primary cortical representation of skin temperature and may help explain how the thermal system generates sensations of cool and warm.
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8
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Lu J, Chen B, Levy M, Xu P, Han BX, Takatoh J, Thompson PM, He Z, Prevosto V, Wang F. Somatosensory cortical signature of facial nociception and vibrotactile touch-induced analgesia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn6530. [PMID: 36383651 PMCID: PMC9668294 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn6530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Pain relief by vibrotactile touch is a common human experience. Previous neurophysiological investigations of its underlying mechanism in animals focused on spinal circuits, while human studies suggested the involvement of supraspinal pathways. Here, we examine the role of primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in touch-induced mechanical and heat analgesia. We found that, in mice, vibrotactile reafferent signals from self-generated whisking significantly reduce facial nociception, which is abolished by specifically blocking touch transmission from thalamus to the barrel cortex (S1B). Using a signal separation algorithm that can decompose calcium signals into sensory-evoked, whisking, or face-wiping responses, we found that the presence of whisking altered nociceptive signal processing in S1B neurons. Analysis of S1B population dynamics revealed that whisking pushes the transition of the neural state induced by noxious stimuli toward the outcome of non-nocifensive actions. Thus, S1B integrates facial tactile and noxious signals to enable touch-mediated analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinghao Lu
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Manuel Levy
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Bao-Xia Han
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jun Takatoh
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - P. M. Thompson
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Zhigang He
- Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vincent Prevosto
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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9
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Bokiniec P, Whitmire CJ, Leva TM, Poulet JFA. Brain-wide connectivity map of mouse thermosensory cortices. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4870-4885. [PMID: 36255325 PMCID: PMC10110442 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac386] [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: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the thermal system, skin cooling is represented in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and the posterior insular cortex (pIC). Whether S1 and pIC are nodes in anatomically separate or overlapping thermal sensorimotor pathways is unclear, as the brain-wide connectivity of the thermal system has not been mapped. We address this using functionally targeted, dual injections of anterograde viruses or retrograde tracers into the forelimb representation of S1 (fS1) and pIC (fpIC). Our data show that inputs to fS1 and fpIC originate from separate neuronal populations, supporting the existence of parallel input pathways. Outputs from fS1 and fpIC are more widespread than their inputs, sharing a number of cortical and subcortical targets. While, axonal projections were separable, they were more overlapping than the clusters of input cells. In both fS1 and fpIC circuits, there was a high degree of reciprocal connectivity with thalamic and cortical regions, but unidirectional output to the midbrain and hindbrain. Notably, fpIC showed connectivity with regions associated with thermal processing. Together, these data indicate that cutaneous thermal information is routed to the cortex via parallel circuits and is forwarded to overlapping downstream regions for the binding of somatosensory percepts and integration with ongoing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Bokiniec
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Clarissa J Whitmire
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias M Leva
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.,Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - James F A Poulet
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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10
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Beloate LN, Zhang N. Connecting the dots between cell populations, whole-brain activity, and behavior. NEUROPHOTONICS 2022; 9:032208. [PMID: 35350137 PMCID: PMC8957372 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.9.3.032208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Simultaneously manipulating and monitoring both microscopic and macroscopic brain activity in vivo and identifying the linkage to behavior are powerful tools in neuroscience research. These capabilities have been realized with the recent technical advances of optogenetics and its combination with fMRI, here termed "opto-fMRI." Opto-fMRI allows for targeted brain region-, cell-type-, or projection-specific manipulation and targeted Ca 2 + activity measurement to be linked with global brain signaling and behavior. We cover the history, technical advances, applications, and important considerations of opto-fMRI in anesthetized and awake rodents and the future directions of the combined techniques in neuroscience and neuroimaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren N. Beloate
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Nanyin Zhang
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania, United States
- Pennsylvania State University, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania, United States
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11
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Osaki H, Kanaya M, Ueta Y, Miyata M. Distinct nociception processing in the dysgranular and barrel regions of the mouse somatosensory cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3622. [PMID: 35768422 PMCID: PMC9243138 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31272-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nociception, a somatic discriminative aspect of pain, is, like touch, represented in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), but the separation and interaction of the two modalities within S1 remain unclear. Here, we show spatially distinct tactile and nociceptive processing in the granular barrel field (BF) and adjacent dysgranular region (Dys) in mouse S1. Simultaneous recordings of the multiunit activity across subregions revealed that Dys neurons are more responsive to noxious input, whereas BF neurons prefer tactile input. At the single neuron level, nociceptive information is represented separately from the tactile information in Dys layer 2/3. In contrast, both modalities seem to converge on individual layer 5 neurons of each region, but to a different extent. Overall, these findings show layer-specific processing of nociceptive and tactile information between Dys and BF. We further demonstrated that Dys activity, but not BF activity, is critically involved in pain-like behavior. These findings provide new insights into the role of pain processing in S1. The processing of nociception in the somatosensory cortex (S1) has yet to be fully understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that the dysgranular region in S1 has an affinity for nociception and is critically involved in pain-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hironobu Osaki
- Division of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. .,Laboratory of Functional Brain Circuit Construction, Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Moeko Kanaya
- Division of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Ueta
- Division of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mariko Miyata
- Division of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
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12
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Ma Q. A functional subdivision within the somatosensory system and its implications for pain research. Neuron 2022; 110:749-769. [PMID: 35016037 PMCID: PMC8897275 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Somatosensory afferents are traditionally classified by soma size, myelination, and their response specificity to external and internal stimuli. Here, we propose the functional subdivision of the nociceptive somatosensory system into two branches. The exteroceptive branch detects external threats and drives reflexive-defensive reactions to prevent or limit injury. The interoceptive branch senses the disruption of body integrity, produces tonic pain with strong aversive emotional components, and drives self-caring responses toward to the injured region to reduce suffering. The central thesis behind this functional subdivision comes from a reflection on the dilemma faced by the pain research field, namely, the use of reflexive-defensive behaviors as surrogate assays for interoceptive tonic pain. The interpretation of these assays is now being challenged by the discovery of distinct but interwoven circuits that drive exteroceptive versus interoceptive types of behaviors, with the conflation of these two components contributing partially to the poor translation of therapies from preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiufu Ma
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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13
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Rabies anterograde monosynaptic tracing allows identification of postsynaptic circuits receiving distinct somatosensory input. Neuroscience 2022; 491:75-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Ran C, Kamalani GNA, Chen X. Modality-Specific Modulation of Temperature Representations in the Spinal Cord after Injury. J Neurosci 2021; 41:8210-8219. [PMID: 34408066 PMCID: PMC8482863 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1104-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Different types of tissue injury, such as inflammatory and neuropathic conditions, cause modality-specific alternations on temperature perception. There are profound changes in peripheral sensory neurons after injury, but how patterned neuronal activities in the CNS encode injury-induced sensitization to temperature stimuli is largely unknown. Using in vivo calcium imaging and mouse genetics, we show that formalin- and prostaglandin E2-induced inflammation dramatically increase spinal responses to heating and decrease responses to cooling in male and female mice. The reduction of cold response is largely eliminated on ablation of TRPV1-expressing primary sensory neurons, indicating a crossover inhibition of cold response from the hyperactive heat inputs in the spinal cord. Interestingly, chemotherapy medication oxaliplatin can rapidly increase spinal responses to cooling and suppress responses to heating. Together, our results suggest a push-pull mechanism in processing cold and heat inputs and reveal a synergic mechanism to shift thermosensation after injury.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In this paper, we combine our novel in vivo spinal cord two-photon calcium imaging, mouse genetics, and persistent pain models to study how tissue injury alters the sensation of temperature. We discover modality-specific changes of spinal temperature responses in different models of injury. Chemotherapy medication oxaliplatin leads to cold hypersensitivity and heat hyposensitivity. By contrast, inflammation increases heat sensitivity and decreases cold sensitivity. This decrease in cold sensitivity results from the stronger crossover inhibition from the hyperactive heat inputs. Our work reveals the bidirectional change of thermosensitivity by injury and suggests that the crossover inhibitory circuit underlies the shifted thermosensation, providing a mechanism to the biased perception toward a unique thermal modality that was observed clinically in chronic pain patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Ran
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | | | - Xiaoke Chen
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
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15
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Analgesic effect of central relaxin receptor activation on persistent inflammatory pain in mice: behavioral and neurochemical data. Pain Rep 2021; 6:e937. [PMID: 34159282 PMCID: PMC8213244 DOI: 10.1097/pr9.0000000000000937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Relaxin peptide analogues produce strong but transient analgesia in inflammatory pain in mouse. Relaxin and its RXFP1 receptor represent a new peptidergic system that modulates pain processing in the forebrain areas. Introduction: The relaxin peptide signaling system is involved in diverse physiological processes, but its possible roles in the brain, including nociception, are largely unexplored. Objective: In light of abundant expression of relaxin receptor (RXFP1) mRNA/protein in brain regions involved in pain processing, we investigated the effects of central RXFP1 activation on nociceptive behavior in a mouse model of inflammatory pain and examined the neurochemical phenotype and connectivity of relaxin and RXFP1 mRNA-positive neurons. Methods: Mice were injected with Complete Freund Adjuvant (CFA) into a hind paw. After 4 days, the RXFP1 agonist peptides, H2-relaxin or B7-33, ± the RXFP1 antagonist, B-R13/17K-H2, were injected into the lateral cerebral ventricle, and mechanical and thermal sensitivity were assessed at 30 to 120 minutes. Relaxin and RXFP1 mRNA in excitatory and inhibitory neurons were examined using multiplex, fluorescent in situ hybridization. Relaxin-containing neurons were detected using immunohistochemistry and their projections assessed using fluorogold retrograde tract-tracing. Results: Both H2-relaxin and B7-33 produced a strong, but transient, reduction in mechanical and thermal sensitivity of the CFA-injected hind paw alone, at 30 minutes postinjection. Notably, coinjection of B-R13/17K-H2 blocked mechanical, but not thermal, analgesia. In the claustrum, cingulate cortex, and subiculum, RXFP1 mRNA was expressed in excitatory neurons. Relaxin immunoreactivity was detected in neurons in forebrain and midbrain areas involved in pain processing and sending projections to the RXFP1-rich, claustrum and cingulate cortex. No changes were detected in CFA mice. Conclusion: Our study identified a previously unexplored peptidergic system that can control pain processing in the brain and produce analgesia.
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Biometric Data as Real-Time Measure of Physiological Reactions to Environmental Stimuli in the Built Environment. ENERGIES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/en14010232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The physiological and cognitive effects of environmental stimuli from the built environment on humans have been studied for more than a century, over short time frames in terms of comfort, and over long-time frames in terms of health and wellbeing. The strong interdependence of objective and subjective factors in these fields of study has traditionally involved the necessity to rely on a number of qualitative sources of information, as self-report variables, which however, raise criticisms concerning their reliability and precision. Recent advancements in sensing technology and data processing methodologies have strongly contributed towards a renewed interest in biometric data as a potential high-precision tool to study the physiological effects of selected stimuli on humans using more objective and real-time measures. Within this context, this review reports on a broader spectrum of available and advanced biosensing techniques used in the fields of building engineering, human physiology, neurology, and psychology. The interaction and interdependence between (i) indoor environmental parameters and (ii) biosignals identifying human physiological response to the environmental stressors are systematically explored. Online databases ScienceDirect, Scopus, MDPI and ResearchGate were scanned to gather all relevant publications in the last 20 years, identifying and listing tools and methods of biometric data collection, assessing the potentials and drawbacks of the most relevant techniques. The review aims to support the introduction of biomedical signals as a tool for understanding the physiological aspects of indoor comfort in the view of achieving an improved balance between human resilience and building resilience, addressing human indoor health as well as energetic and environmental building performance.
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Crivelli D, Polimeni E, Crotti D, Bottini G, Salvato G. Bilateral skin temperature drop and warm sensibility decrease following modulation of body part ownership through mirror-box illusion. Cortex 2020; 135:49-60. [PMID: 33360760 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The implicit and explicit awareness of owning a body and its parts is a constant accompaniment in our everyday life and our interaction with the outside world. The way in which we build and maintain a coherent sense of body ownership is not fully understood. It has been postulated that the integration between exteroceptive, interoceptive, and proprioceptive signals may play a fundamental role in the sense of body ownership. For instance, studies on healthy subjects and brain-damaged patients have suggested that alterations in the sense of body ownership are coupled with autonomic signal changes, such as thermoregulatory reactions. However, the available evidence is conflicting, possibly due to shortcomings in the experimental paradigm that previous studies have adopted. In this study, we explore the relationship between body ownership, thermoregulation, and thermal sensitivity through a novel application of the mirror-box illusion paradigm, overcoming some of the limitations of previous studies. We find a bilateral decrease in hand skin temperature, together with reduced thermal sensitivity for warm thermal stimuli following the induction of the illusion of ownership towards the participant's reflected hand. These findings demonstrate the importance of the orchestration of exteroceptive (e.g., visual), autonomic (e.g., body temperature) and proprioceptive (e.g., position and movement of the body) signals in maintaining a coherent sense of body ownership.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Crivelli
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; NeuroMi, Milan Centre for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Polimeni
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Daniele Crotti
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Gabriella Bottini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; NeuroMi, Milan Centre for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Cognitive Neuropsychology Centre, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milano, Italy
| | - Gerardo Salvato
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; NeuroMi, Milan Centre for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Cognitive Neuropsychology Centre, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milano, Italy.
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18
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Xiao R, Xu XZS. Temperature Sensation: From Molecular Thermosensors to Neural Circuits and Coding Principles. Annu Rev Physiol 2020; 83:205-230. [PMID: 33085927 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-031220-095215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Temperature is a universal cue and regulates many essential processes ranging from enzymatic reactions to species migration. Due to the profound impact of temperature on physiology and behavior, animals and humans have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to detect temperature changes. Studies from animal models, such as mouse, Drosophila, and C. elegans, have revealed many exciting principles of thermosensation. For example, conserved molecular thermosensors, including thermosensitive channels and receptors, act as the initial detectors of temperature changes across taxa. Additionally, thermosensory neurons and circuits in different species appear to adopt similar logic to transduce and process temperature information. Here, we present the current understanding of thermosensation at the molecular and cellular levels. We also discuss the fundamental coding strategies of thermosensation at the circuit level. A thorough understanding of thermosensation not only provides key insights into sensory biology but also builds a foundation for developing better treatments for various sensory disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xiao
- Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Institute on Aging and Center for Smell and Taste, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA;
| | - X Z Shawn Xu
- Life Sciences Institute and Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
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Functional interrogation of neural circuits with virally transmitted optogenetic tools. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 345:108905. [PMID: 32795553 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate brain comprises a plethora of cell types connected by intertwined pathways. Optogenetics enriches the neuroscientific tool set for disentangling these neuronal circuits in a manner which exceeds the spatio-temporal precision of previously existing techniques. Technically, optogenetics can be divided in three types of optical and genetic combinations: (1) it is primarily understood as the manipulation of the activity of genetically modified cells (typically neurons) with light, i.e. optical actuators. (2) A second combination refers to visualizing the activity of genetically modified cells (again typically neurons), i.e. optical sensors. (3) A completely different interpretation of optogenetics refers to the light activated expression of a genetically induced construct. Here, we focus on the first two types of optogenetics, i.e. the optical actuators and sensors in an attempt to give an overview into the topic. We first cover methods to express opsins into neurons and introduce strategies of targeting specific neuronal populations in different animal species. We then summarize combinations of optogenetics with behavioral read out and neuronal imaging. Finally, we give an overview of the current state-of-the-art and an outlook on future perspectives.
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20
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Paricio-Montesinos R, Schwaller F, Udhayachandran A, Rau F, Walcher J, Evangelista R, Vriens J, Voets T, Poulet JFA, Lewin GR. The Sensory Coding of Warm Perception. Neuron 2020; 106:830-841.e3. [PMID: 32208171 PMCID: PMC7272120 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Humans detect skin temperature changes that are perceived as warm or cool. Like humans, mice report forepaw skin warming with perceptual thresholds of less than 1°C and do not confuse warm with cool. We identify two populations of polymodal C-fibers that signal warm. Warm excites one population, whereas it suppresses the ongoing cool-driven firing of the other. In the absence of the thermosensitive TRPM2 or TRPV1 ion channels, warm perception was blunted, but not abolished. In addition, trpv1:trpa1:trpm3−/− triple-mutant mice that cannot sense noxious heat detected skin warming, albeit with reduced sensitivity. In contrast, loss or local pharmacological silencing of the cool-driven TRPM8 channel abolished the ability to detect warm. Our data are not reconcilable with a labeled line model for warm perception, with receptors firing only in response to warm stimuli, but instead support a conserved dual sensory model to unambiguously detect skin warming in vertebrates. Mice, like humans, perceive forepaw warming (≥1°C) and discriminate warm from cool Warm-activated and warm-silenced polymodal C-fibers both signal forepaw warming Mice lacking the cool-sensitive ion channel TRPM8 are unable to perceive warm The inability to perceive warm is associated with loss of warm-silenced C-fibers
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Paricio-Montesinos
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center and Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Frederick Schwaller
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany
| | - Annapoorani Udhayachandran
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center and Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Rau
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center and Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Walcher
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany
| | - Roberta Evangelista
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany
| | - Joris Vriens
- Laboratory of Endometrium, Endometriosis and Reproductive Medicine, KU Leuven Department of Development and Regeneration, G-PURE, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thomas Voets
- Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, KU Leuven Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Leuven, Belgium
| | - James F A Poulet
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center and Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Gary R Lewin
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany.
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21
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Demin KA, Lakstygal AM, Volgin AD, de Abreu MS, Genario R, Alpyshov ET, Serikuly N, Wang D, Wang J, Yan D, Wang M, Yang L, Hu G, Bytov M, Zabegalov KN, Zhdanov A, Harvey BH, Costa F, Rosemberg DB, Leonard BE, Fontana BD, Cleal M, Parker MO, Wang J, Song C, Amstislavskaya TG, Kalueff AV. Cross-species Analyses of Intra-species Behavioral Differences in Mammals and Fish. Neuroscience 2020; 429:33-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.12.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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22
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Chen SCJ, Lin JH, Hsu JS, Shih CM, Lai JJ, Hsu MJ. Influence of Alternate Hot and Cold Thermal Stimulation in Cortical Excitability in Healthy Adults: An fMRI Study. J Clin Med 2019; 9:jcm9010018. [PMID: 31861675 PMCID: PMC7019540 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9010018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Stroke rehabilitation using alternate hot and cold thermal stimulation (altTS) has been reported to improve motor function in hemiplegia; however, the influence of brain excitability induced by altTS remains unclear. This study examined cortical activation induced by altTS in healthy adults, focusing on motor-related areas. This involved a repeated crossover experimental design with two temperature settings (innocuous altTS with alternate heat-pain and cold-pain thermal and noxious altTS with alternate heat and cold thermal) testing both arms (left side and right side). Thirty-one healthy, right-handed participants received four episodes of altTS on four separate days. Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed both before and after each intervention to determine whether altTS intervention affects cortical excitability, while participants performed a finger-tapping task during scanning. The findings revealed greater response intensity of cortical excitability in participants who received noxious altTS in the primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, and somatosensory cortex than in those who received innocuous altTS. Moreover, there was more motor-related excitability in the contra-lateral brain when heat was applied to the dominant arm, and more sensory-associated excitability in the contra-lateral brain when heat was applied to the nondominant arm. The findings highlight the effect of heat on cortical excitability and provide insights into the application of altTS in stroke rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Chia-Ju Chen
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
| | - Jau-Hong Lin
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
- Department of Physical Therapy, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Sheng Hsu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (J.-S.H.); (C.-M.S.); (J.-J.L.)
| | - Chiu-Ming Shih
- Department of Medical Imaging, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (J.-S.H.); (C.-M.S.); (J.-J.L.)
| | - Jui-Jen Lai
- Department of Medical Imaging, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (J.-S.H.); (C.-M.S.); (J.-J.L.)
| | - Miao-Ju Hsu
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
- Department of Physical Therapy, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-7-3121101 (ext. 2673); Fax: +886-7-3215845
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Attenuating Neurogenic Sympathetic Hyperreflexia Robustly Improves Antibacterial Immunity After Chronic Spinal Cord Injury. J Neurosci 2019; 40:478-492. [PMID: 31754014 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2417-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts critical physiological systems, including the cardiovascular and immune system. Plasticity of spinal circuits below the injury results in abnormal, heightened sympathetic responses, such as extreme, sudden hypertension that hallmarks life-threatening autonomic dysreflexia. Moreover, such sympathetic hyperreflexia detrimentally impacts other effector organs, including the spleen, resulting in spinal cord injury-induced immunodeficiency. Consequently, infection is a leading cause of mortality after SCI. Unfortunately, there are no current treatments that prophylactically limit sympathetic hyperreflexia to prevent subsequent effector organ dysfunction. The cytokine soluble tumor necrosis factor α (sTNFα) is upregulated in the CNS within minutes after SCI and remains elevated. Here, we report that commencing intrathecal administration of XPro1595, an inhibitor of sTNFα, at a clinically feasible, postinjury time point (i.e., 3 d after complete SCI) sufficiently diminishes maladaptive plasticity within the spinal sympathetic reflex circuit. This results in less severe autonomic dysreflexia, a real-time gauge of sympathetic hyperreflexia, for months postinjury. Remarkably, delayed delivery of the sTNFα inhibitor prevents sympathetic hyperreflexia-associated splenic atrophy and loss of leukocytes to dramatically improve the endogenous ability of chronic SCI rats to fight off pneumonia, a common cause of hospitalization after injury. The improved immune function with XPro1595 correlates with less noradrenergic fiber sprouting and normalized norepinephrine levels in the spleen, indicating that heightened, central sTNFα signaling drives peripheral, norepinephrine-mediated organ dysfunction, a novel mechanism of action. Thus, our preclinical study supports intrathecally targeting sTNFα as a viable strategy to broadly attenuate sympathetic dysregulation, thereby improving cardiovascular regulation and immunity long after SCI.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Spinal cord injury (SCI) significantly disrupts immunity, thus increasing susceptibility to infection, a leading cause of morbidity in those living with SCI. Here, we report that commencing intrathecal administration of an inhibitor of the proinflammatory cytokine soluble tumor necrosis factor α days after an injury sufficiently diminishes autonomic dysreflexia, a real time gauge of sympathetic hyperreflexia, to prevent associated splenic atrophy. This dramatically improves the endogenous ability of chronically injured rats to fight off pneumonia, a common cause of hospitalization. This preclinical study could have a significant impact for broadly improving quality of life of SCI individuals.
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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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Abstract
The number of the distinct tactile percepts exceeds the number of receptor types in the skin, signifying that perception cannot be explained by a one-to-one mapping from a single receptor channel to a corresponding percept. The abundance of touch experiences results from multiplexing (the coexistence of multiple codes within a single channel, increasing the available information content of that channel) and from the mixture of receptor channels by divergence and convergence. When a neuronal representation emerges through the combination of receptor channels, perceptual uncertainty can occur—a perceptual judgment is affected by a stimulus feature that would be, ideally, excluded from the task. Though uncertainty seems at first glance to reflect nonoptimality in sensory processing, it is actually a consequence of efficient coding mechanisms that exploit prior knowledge about objects that are touched. Studies that analyze how perceptual judgments are “fooled” by variations in sensory input can reveal the neuronal mechanisms underlying the tactile experience. Perceptual uncertainty in sense of touch occurs when a judgment is affected by a stimulus feature that is irrelevant to the ongoing task. This Primer explores how studies that analyze how perceptual judgments are “fooled” by variations in sensory input can reveal the neuronal mechanisms underlying the tactile experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew E. Diamond
- Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Short-latency afferent-induced facilitation and inhibition as predictors of thermally induced variations in corticomotor excitability. Exp Brain Res 2019; 237:1445-1455. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05522-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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