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Zou J, Hao S. Exercise-induced neuroplasticity: a new perspective on rehabilitation for chronic low back pain. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1407445. [PMID: 38912176 PMCID: PMC11191426 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1407445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic low back pain patients often experience recurrent episodes due to various peripheral and central factors, leading to physical and mental impairments, affecting their daily life and work, and increasing the healthcare burden. With the continuous advancement of neuropathological research, changes in brain structure and function in chronic low back pain patients have been revealed. Neuroplasticity is an important mechanism of self-regulation in the brain and plays a key role in neural injury repair. Targeting neuroplasticity and regulating the central nervous system to improve functional impairments has become a research focus in rehabilitation medicine. Recent studies have shown that exercise can have beneficial effects on the body, such as improving cognition, combating depression, and enhancing athletic performance. Exercise-induced neuroplasticity may be a potential mechanism through which exercise affects the brain. This article systematically introduces the theory of exercise-induced neuroplasticity, explores the central effects mechanism of exercise on patients with chronic low back pain, and further looks forward to new directions in targeted neuroplasticity-based rehabilitation treatment for chronic low back pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianpeng Zou
- Department of Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Shijie Hao
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
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2
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Tian X, Wang WT, Zhang MM, Yang QQ, Xu YL, Wu JB, Xie XX, Wang JY, Wang JY. Red nucleus mGluR1 and mGluR5 facilitate the development of neuropathic pain through stimulating the expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β. Neurochem Int 2024; 178:105786. [PMID: 38843952 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2024.105786] [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: 03/09/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Our previous study has identified that glutamate in the red nucleus (RN) facilitates the development of neuropathic pain through metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR). Here, we further explored the actions and possible molecular mechanisms of red nucleus mGluR Ⅰ (mGluR1 and mGluR5) in the development of neuropathic pain induced by spared nerve injury (SNI). Our data indicated that both mGluR1 and mGluR5 were constitutively expressed in the RN of normal rats. Two weeks after SNI, the expressions of mGluR1 and mGluR5 were significantly boosted in the RN contralateral to the nerve injury. Administration of mGluR1 antagonist LY367385 or mGluR5 antagonist MTEP to the RN contralateral to the nerve injury at 2 weeks post-SNI significantly ameliorated SNI-induced neuropathic pain. However, unilateral administration of mGluRⅠ agonist DHPG to the RN of normal rats provoked a significant mechanical allodynia, this effect could be blocked by LY367385 or MTEP. Further studies indicated that the expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β in the RN were also elevated at 2 weeks post-SNI. Administration of mGluR1 antagonist LY367385 or mGluR5 antagonist MTEP to the RN at 2 weeks post-SNI significantly inhibited the elevations of TNF-α and IL-1β. However, administration of mGluR Ⅰ agonist DHPG to the RN of normal rats significantly enhanced the expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β, these effects were blocked by LY367385 or MTEP. These results suggest that activation of red nucleus mGluR1 and mGluR5 facilitate the development of neuropathic pain by stimulating the expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β. mGluR Ⅰ maybe potential targets for drug development and clinical treatment of neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Tian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China; Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China; Shaanxi Blood Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wen-Tao Wang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Miao-Miao Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qing-Qing Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China; Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ya-Li Xu
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ji-Bo Wu
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xin-Xin Xie
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jun-Yang Wang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Jing-Yuan Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
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Neumann N, Domin M, Schmidt CO, Lotze M. Chronic pain is associated with less grey matter volume in the anterior cingulum, anterior and posterior insula and hippocampus across three different chronic pain conditions. Eur J Pain 2023; 27:1239-1248. [PMID: 37366271 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.2153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic pain of different aetiologies and localization has been associated with less grey matter volume (GMV) in several cortical and subcortical brain areas. Recent meta-analyses reported low reproducibility of GMV alterations between studies and pain syndromes. METHODS To investigate GMV in common chronic pain conditions defined by body location (chronic back pain, n = 174; migraine, n = 92; craniomandibular disorder, n = 39) compared to controls (n = 296), we conducted voxel-based morphometry and determined GMV from high-resolution cranial MRIs obtained in an epidemiologic survey. Mediation analyses were performed between the presence of chronic pain and GMV testing the mediators stress and mild depression. The predictability of chronic pain was investigated with binomial logistic regression. RESULTS Whole-brain analyses yielded reduced GMV within the left anterior insula and the anterior cingulate cortex, for a ROI approach additionally the left posterior insula and left hippocampus showing less GMV across all patients with chronic pain. The relationship of pain with GMV in the left hippocampus was mediated by self-reported stressors in the last 12 months. Binomial logistic regression revealed a predictive effect for GMV in the left hippocampus and left anterior insula/temporal pole for the presence of chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS Chronic pain across three different pain conditions was characterized by less GMV in brain regions consistently described for different chronic pain conditions before. Less GMV in the left hippocampus mediated by experienced stress during the last year might be related to altered pain learning mechanisms in chronic pain patients. SIGNIFICANCE Grey matter reorganization could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for chronic pain. In a large cohort, we here replicated findings of less grey matter volume across three pain conditions in the left anterior and posterior insula, anterior cingulate and left hippocampus. Less hippocampal grey matter was mediated by experienced stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Neumann
- Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, Functional Imaging Unit, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Martin Domin
- Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, Functional Imaging Unit, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Carsten-Oliver Schmidt
- Institute for Community Medicine- Department SHIP/KEF, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Martin Lotze
- Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, Functional Imaging Unit, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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Zheng Y, Shao S, Zhang Y, Yuan S, Xing Y, Wang J, Qi X, Cui K, Tong J, Liu F, Cui S, Wan Y, Yi M. HCN2 Channels in the Ventral Hippocampal CA1 Regulate Nociceptive Hypersensitivity in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13823. [PMID: 37762124 PMCID: PMC10531460 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813823] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain is a significant health problem worldwide. Recent evidence has suggested that the ventral hippocampus is dysfunctional in humans and rodents, with decreased neuronal excitability and connectivity with other brain regions, parallel pain chronicity, and persistent nociceptive hypersensitivity. But the molecular mechanisms underlying hippocampal modulation of pain remain poorly elucidated. In this study, we used ex vivo whole-cell patch-clamp recording, immunofluorescence staining, and behavioral tests to examine whether hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels 2 (HCN2) in the ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) were involved in regulating nociceptive perception and CFA-induced inflammatory pain in mice. Reduced sag potential and firing rate of action potentials were observed in vCA1 pyramidal neurons from CFA-injected mice. Moreover, the expression of HCN2, but not HCN1, in vCA1 decreased in mice injected with CFA. HCN2 knockdown in vCA1 pyramidal neurons induced thermal hypersensitivity, whereas overexpression of HCN2 alleviated thermal hyperalgesia induced by intraplantar injection of CFA in mice. Our findings suggest that HCN2 in the vCA1 plays an active role in pain modulation and could be a promising target for the treatment of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawen Zheng
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Shan Shao
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Yu Zhang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (CAMS) & Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing 100101, China;
| | - Shulu Yuan
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Yuanwei Xing
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Xuetao Qi
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Kun Cui
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Jifu Tong
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Fengyu Liu
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - Shuang Cui
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
| | - You Wan
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
- Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ming Yi
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (Y.Z.); (S.S.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (J.W.); (X.Q.); (K.C.); (J.T.); (F.L.); (S.C.); (Y.W.)
- Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing 100101, China
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5
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Liu Y, Li A, Bair-Marshall C, Xu H, Jee HJ, Zhu E, Sun M, Zhang Q, Lefevre A, Chen ZS, Grinevich V, Froemke RC, Wang J. Oxytocin promotes prefrontal population activity via the PVN-PFC pathway to regulate pain. Neuron 2023; 111:1795-1811.e7. [PMID: 37023755 PMCID: PMC10272109 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can provide top-down regulation of sensory-affective experiences such as pain. Bottom-up modulation of sensory coding in the PFC, however, remains poorly understood. Here, we examined how oxytocin (OT) signaling from the hypothalamus regulates nociceptive coding in the PFC. In vivo time-lapse endoscopic calcium imaging in freely behaving rats showed that OT selectively enhanced population activity in the prelimbic PFC in response to nociceptive inputs. This population response resulted from the reduction of evoked GABAergic inhibition and manifested as elevated functional connectivity involving pain-responsive neurons. Direct inputs from OT-releasing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus are crucial to maintaining this prefrontal nociceptive response. Activation of the prelimbic PFC by OT or direct optogenetic stimulation of oxytocinergic PVN projections reduced acute and chronic pain. These results suggest that oxytocinergic signaling in the PVN-PFC circuit constitutes a key mechanism to regulate cortical sensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaling Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chloe Bair-Marshall
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Helen Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hyun Jung Jee
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elaine Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mengqi Sun
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Qiaosheng Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Arthur Lefevre
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Zhe Sage Chen
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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6
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Kim C, Kim J, Chang H, Hong D, Hong S, Moon H. Longitudinal Change in Brain Functional Connectivity with Herpes Zoster Patients: Neuroimaging Case Series. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2023; 59:1045. [PMID: 37374249 DOI: 10.3390/medicina59061045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
The exact mechanism involved in the development of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is not yet known. The objective of this study was to evaluate longitudinal functional connectivity (FC) changes in the neuroimaging case series of patients with acute herpes zoster (HZ). Cases: This study included five patients who had symptoms of HZ. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted at enrollment and 3 months to determine FC changes. Of the five patients, three developed PHN. In the PHN subjects, the FC of the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were activated. The left SFG is known to contribute to higher cognitive functions and working memory. The right IFG is associated with pain processing and empathy for pain. Conclusions: Although only a few patients were enrolled in this study, the PHN could be affected by pain itself, as well as pain memory and psychological aspects such as empathy for pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changjae Kim
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea
| | - Joongbaek Kim
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunjae Chang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea
| | - Dakyung Hong
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanghyun Hong
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea
| | - Hosik Moon
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea
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7
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Long Y, Ouyang X, Yan C, Wu Z, Huang X, Pu W, Cao H, Liu Z, Palaniyappan L. Evaluating test-retest reliability and sex-/age-related effects on temporal clustering coefficient of dynamic functional brain networks. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:2191-2208. [PMID: 36637216 PMCID: PMC10028647 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The multilayer dynamic network model has been proposed as an effective method to understand the brain function. In particular, derived from the definition of clustering coefficient in static networks, the temporal clustering coefficient provides a direct measure of the topological stability of dynamic brain networks and shows potential in predicting altered brain functions. However, test-retest reliability and demographic-related effects on this measure remain to be evaluated. Using a data set from the Human Connectome Project (157 male and 180 female healthy adults; 22-37 years old), the present study investigated: (1) the test-retest reliability of temporal clustering coefficient across four repeated resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans as measured by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC); and (2) sex- and age-related effects on temporal clustering coefficient. The results showed that (1) the temporal clustering coefficient had overall moderate test-retest reliability (ICC > 0.40 over a wide range of densities) at both global and subnetwork levels, (2) female subjects showed significantly higher temporal clustering coefficient than males at both global and subnetwork levels, particularly within the default-mode and subcortical regions, and (3) temporal clustering coefficient of the subcortical subnetwork was positively correlated with age in young adults. The results of sex effects were robustly replicated in an independent REST-meta-MDD data set, while the results of age effects were not. Our findings suggest that the temporal clustering coefficient is a relatively reliable and reproducible approach for identifying individual differences in brain function, and provide evidence for demographically related effects on the human brain dynamic connectomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yicheng Long
- Department of Psychiatry, and National Clinical Research Center for Mental DisordersThe Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Xuan Ouyang
- Department of Psychiatry, and National Clinical Research Center for Mental DisordersThe Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Chaogan Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of PsychologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- International Big‐Data Center for Depression Research, Institute of PsychologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Zhipeng Wu
- Department of Psychiatry, and National Clinical Research Center for Mental DisordersThe Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Xiaojun Huang
- Department of PsychiatryJiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical CollegeNanchangChina
| | - Weidan Pu
- Medical Psychological InstituteThe Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Hengyi Cao
- Center for Psychiatric NeuroscienceFeinstein Institute for Medical ResearchManhassetNew YorkUSA
- Division of Psychiatry ResearchZucker Hillside HospitalGlen OaksNew YorkUSA
| | - Zhening Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, and National Clinical Research Center for Mental DisordersThe Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Lena Palaniyappan
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
- Robarts Research InstituteUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
- Lawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
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8
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Zhang Y, Feng J, Ou C, Zhou X, Liao Y. AQP4 mitigates chronic neuropathic pain-induced cognitive impairment in mice. Behav Brain Res 2023; 440:114282. [PMID: 36596395 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is a risk factor for cognitive defects. The ubiquitous expression of AQP4 in astrocytes throughout the central nervous system is altered in the neurodegenerative disease. However, the exact role of AQP4 in cognitive impairment induced by chronic neuropathic pain remains unclear. In this study, we discovered that AQP4 protein and mRNA expression decreased time-dependently in the model of chronic neuropathic pain-induced cognitive disorder. AQP4 overexpression recovered mice from cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the concentration of Aβ1-42 in the serum and hippocampus reduced in mice with AQP4 overexpression adeno-associated virus injection. In conclusion, AQP4 in astrocytes is important in mitigating cognitive impairment caused by chronic neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Department of Histology, Embryology and Neurobiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Department of Pain Management, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jianguo Feng
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China; Laboratory of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Cehua Ou
- Department of Pain Management, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Xue Zhou
- Department of Histology, Embryology and Neurobiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
| | - Yonghong Liao
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China; Laboratory of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
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9
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Shao S, Zheng Y, Fu Z, Wang J, Zhang Y, Wang C, Qi X, Gong T, Ma L, Lin X, Yu H, Yuan S, Wan Y, Zhang H, Yi M. Ventral hippocampal CA1 modulates pain behaviors in mice with peripheral inflammation. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112017. [PMID: 36662622 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112017] [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: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain is one of the most significant medical problems throughout the world. Recent evidence has confirmed the hippocampus as an active modulator of pain chronicity, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using in vivo electrophysiology, we identify a neural ensemble in the ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) that shows inhibitory responses to noxious but not innocuous stimuli. Following peripheral inflammation, this ensemble becomes responsive to innocuous stimuli, representing hypersensitivity. Mimicking the inhibition of vCA1 neurons using chemogenetics induces chronic pain-like behaviors in naive mice, whereas activating vCA1 neurons in mice with peripheral inflammation results in a reduction of pain-related behaviors. Pathway-specific manipulation of vCA1 projections to basolateral amygdala (BLA) and infralimbic cortex (IL) shows that these pathways are differentially involved in pain modulation at different temporal stages of chronic inflammatory pain. These results confirm a crucial role of the vCA1 and its circuits in modulating the development of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Shao
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Yawen Zheng
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Zibing Fu
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China; Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, P.R. China
| | - Xuetao Qi
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Tingting Gong
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Longyu Ma
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Xi Lin
- Department of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Haitao Yu
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, P.R. China
| | - Shulu Yuan
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - You Wan
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education / National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Haolin Zhang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, P.R. China.
| | - Ming Yi
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education / National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China.
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10
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TRIAC Treatment Improves Impaired Brain Network Function and White Matter Loss in Thyroid Hormone Transporter Mct8/Oatp1c1 Deficient Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415547. [PMID: 36555189 PMCID: PMC9779161 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysfunctions of the thyroid hormone (TH) transporting monocarboxylate transporter MCT8 lead to a complex X-linked syndrome with abnormal serum TH concentrations and prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms (Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome, AHDS). The key features of AHDS are replicated in double knockout mice lacking MCT8 and organic anion transporting protein OATP1C1 (Mct8/Oatp1c1 DKO). In this study, we characterize impairments of brain structure and function in Mct8/Oatp1c1 DKO mice using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and assess the potential of the TH analogue 3,3',5-triiodothyroacetic acid (TRIAC) to rescue this phenotype. Structural and functional MRI were performed in 11-weeks-old male Mct8/Oatp1c1 DKO mice (N = 10), wild type controls (N = 7) and Mct8/Oatp1c1 DKO mice (N = 13) that were injected with TRIAC (400 ng/g bw s.c.) daily during the first three postnatal weeks. Grey and white matter volume were broadly reduced in Mct8/Oatp1c1 DKO mice. TRIAC treatment could significantly improve white matter thinning but did not affect grey matter loss. Network-based statistic showed a wide-spread increase of functional connectivity, while graph analysis revealed an impairment of small-worldness and whole-brain segregation in Mct8/Oatp1c1 DKO mice. Both functional deficits could be substantially ameliorated by TRIAC treatment. Our study demonstrates prominent structural and functional brain alterations in Mct8/Oatp1c1 DKO mice that may underlie the psychomotor deficiencies in AHDS. Additionally, we provide preclinical evidence that early-life TRIAC treatment improves white matter loss and brain network dysfunctions associated with TH transporter deficiency.
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11
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Smith JL, Allen JW, Fleischer CC, Harper DE. Topology of pain networks in patients with temporomandibular disorder and pain-free controls with and without concurrent experimental pain: A pilot study. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH (LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 3:966398. [PMID: 36324873 PMCID: PMC9619074 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2022.966398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) involve chronic pain in the masticatory muscles and jaw joints, but the mechanisms underlying the pain are heterogenous and vary across individuals. In some cases, structural, functional, and metabolic changes in the brain may underlie the condition. In the present study, we evaluated the functional connectivity between 86 regions of interest (ROIs), which were chosen based on previously reported neuroimaging studies of pain and differences in brain morphology identified in an initial surface-based morphometry analysis. Our main objectives were to investigate the topology of the network formed by these ROIs and how it differs between individuals with TMD and chronic pain (n = 16) and pain-free control participants (n = 12). In addition to a true resting state functional connectivity scan, we also measured functional connectivity during a 6-min application of a noxious cuff stimulus applied to the left leg. Our principal finding is individuals with TMD exhibit more suprathreshold correlations (higher nodal degree) among all ROIs but fewer "hub" nodes (i.e., decreased betweenness centrality) across conditions and across all pain pathways. These results suggest is this pain-related network of nodes may be "over-wired" in individuals with TMD and chronic pain compared to controls, both at rest and during experimental pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy L. Smith
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jason W. Allen
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States,Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Candace C. Fleischer
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Daniel E. Harper
- Department of Anesthesiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States,Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States,Correspondence: Daniel E. Harper
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12
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Resting-State Functional Connectivity Analyses: Brain Functional Reorganization in a Rat Model of Postherpetic Neuralgia. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12081029. [PMID: 36009092 PMCID: PMC9405817 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12081029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a chronic neuropathic pain syndrome, similar to other chronic pains, the mechanisms of which are not fully understood. To further understand the neural mechanism of this chronic pain and its transition, we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans on PHN rat models. Twelve PHN rat models were established by intraperitoneal injection of resiniferatoxin, with an additional 12 rats serving as controls. Nociceptive behavioral tests were performed on these rats and fMRI scans were performed on days 7 and 14 after modeling. Functional connection (FC) analysis was used to investigate the brain FC alterations associated with chronic pain in PHN rats, with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a seed. Nociceptive behavioral tests showed that PHN rats presented symptoms similar to those of PHN patients. FC analysis showed that compared to the control group, the PHN group showed different FC patterns on days 7 and 14. As can be seen, the brain FC alterations in the rat model of PHN changed dynamically, shifting from brain regions processing sensory information to regions processing emotions and motives.
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13
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Chao CC, Hsieh PC, Janice Lin CH, Huang SL, Hsieh ST, Chiang MC. Impaired brain network architecture as neuroimaging evidence of pain in diabetic neuropathy. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2022; 186:109833. [PMID: 35314258 DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2022.109833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To investigate alterations in structural brain networks due to chronic diabetic neuropathic pain. METHODS The current study recruited 24 patients with painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) to investigate the influences of chronic pain on the brain. Thirteen patients with painless diabetic neuropathy (PLDN) and 24 healthy adults were recruited as disease and healthy controls. White matter connectivity of the brain networks constructed by diffusion tractography was compared across groups using the Network-based statistic (NBS) method. Graph theoretical analysis was further applied to assess topological changes of the brain networks. RESULTS The PDN patients had a significant reduction in white matter connectivity compared with PLDN and controls in the limbic and temporal regions, particularly the insula, hippocampus and parahippocampus, the amygdala, and the middle temporal gyrus. The PDN patients also exhibited an altered topology of the brain networks with reduced global efficiency and betweenness centrality. CONCLUSION The current findings indicate that topological alterations of brain networks may serve as a biomarker for pain-induced maladaptive reorganization of the brain in PDN. Given the high prevalence of diabetes worldwide, novel insights from network sciences to investigate the central mechanisms of diabetic neuropathic pain are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Chao Chao
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Paul-Chen Hsieh
- Department of Dermatology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Ho Janice Lin
- Department of Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Yeong-An Orthopedic and Physical Therapy Clinic, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shin-Leh Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
| | - Sung-Tsang Hsieh
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Center of Precision Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Ming-Chang Chiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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14
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Current Understanding of the Neural Circuitry in the Comorbidity of Chronic Pain and Anxiety. Neural Plast 2022; 2022:4217593. [PMID: 35211169 PMCID: PMC8863453 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4217593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain patients often develop mental disorders, and anxiety disorders are common. We hypothesize that the comorbid anxiety results from an imbalance between the reward and antireward system due to persistent pain, which leads to the dysfunction of the pain and anxiety regulatory system. In this review, we will focus on changes in neuroplasticity, especially in neural circuits, during chronic pain and anxiety as observed in animal studies. Several neural circuits within specific regions of the brain, including the nucleus accumbens, lateral habenular, parabrachial nucleus, medial septum, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, will be discussed based on novel findings after chemogenetic or optogenetic manipulation. We believe that these animal studies provide novel insights into human conditions and can guide clinical practice.
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15
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Disrupted population coding in the prefrontal cortex underlies pain aversion. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109978. [PMID: 34758316 PMCID: PMC8696988 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) regulates a wide range of sensory experiences. Chronic pain is known to impair normal neural response, leading to enhanced aversion. However, it remains unknown how nociceptive responses in the cortex are processed at the population level and whether such processes are disrupted by chronic pain. Using in vivo endoscopic calcium imaging, we identify increased population activity in response to noxious stimuli and stable patterns of functional connectivity among neurons in the prelimbic (PL) PFC from freely behaving rats. Inflammatory pain disrupts functional connectivity of PFC neurons and reduces the overall nociceptive response. Interestingly, ketamine, a well-known neuromodulator, restores the functional connectivity among PL-PFC neurons in the inflammatory pain model to produce anti-aversive effects. These results suggest a dynamic resource allocation mechanism in the prefrontal representations of pain and indicate that population activity in the PFC critically regulates pain and serves as an important therapeutic target. Li et al. reveal that inflammatory pain disrupts the functional connectivity of neurons in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL-PFC) and the overall nociceptive response. Ketamine, meanwhile, restores the functional connectivity of neurons in the PL-PFC in the inflammatory pain state to produce anti-aversive effects.
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16
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Bouali-Benazzouz R, Landry M, Benazzouz A, Fossat P. Neuropathic pain modeling: Focus on synaptic and ion channel mechanisms. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 201:102030. [PMID: 33711402 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of pain consist of modeling a pain-like state and measuring the consequent behavior. The first animal models of neuropathic pain (NP) were developed in rodents with a total lesion of the sciatic nerve. Later, other models targeting central or peripheral branches of nerves were developed to identify novel mechanisms that contribute to persistent pain conditions in NP. Objective assessment of pain in these different animal models represents a significant challenge for pre-clinical research. Multiple behavioral approaches are used to investigate and to validate pain phenotypes including withdrawal reflex to evoked stimuli, vocalizations, spontaneous pain, but also emotional and affective behaviors. Furthermore, animal models were very useful in investigating the mechanisms of NP. This review will focus on a detailed description of rodent models of NP and provide an overview of the assessment of the sensory and emotional components of pain. A detailed inventory will be made to examine spinal mechanisms involved in NP-induced hyperexcitability and underlying the current pharmacological approaches used in clinics with the possibility to present new avenues for future treatment. The success of pre-clinical studies in this area of research depends on the choice of the relevant model and the appropriate test based on the objectives of the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabia Bouali-Benazzouz
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France; CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Marc Landry
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France; CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - Abdelhamid Benazzouz
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France; CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - Pascal Fossat
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France; CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
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17
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Chronic pain susceptibility is associated with anhedonic behavior and alterations in the accumbal ubiquitin-proteasome system. Pain 2021; 162:1722-1731. [PMID: 33449505 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT It remains unknown why on similar acute/subacute painful conditions, pain persists in some individuals while in others it resolves. Genetic factors, mood, and functional alterations, particularly involving the mesolimbic network, seem to be key. To explore potential susceptibility or resistance factors, we screened a large population of rats with a peripheral neuropathy and we isolated a small subset (<15%) that presented high thresholds (HTs) to mechanical allodynia (reduced pain manifestation). The phenotype was sustained over 12 weeks and was associated with higher hedonic behavior when compared with low-threshold (LT) subjects. The nucleus accumbens of HT and LT animals were isolated for proteomic analysis by Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra. Two hundred seventy-nine proteins displayed different expression between LT and HT animals or subjects. Among several protein families, the proteasome pathway repeatedly emerged in gene ontology enrichment and KEGG analyses. Several alpha and beta 20S proteasome subunits were increased in LT animals when compared with HT animals (eg, PSMα1, PSMα2, and PSMβ5). On the contrary, UBA6, an upstream ubiquitin-activating enzyme, was decreased in LT animals. Altogether these observations are consistent with an overactivation of the accumbal proteasome pathway in animals that manifest pain and depressive-like behaviors after a neuropathic injury. All the proteomic data are available through ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD022478.
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18
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Acupuncture alleviates chronic pain and comorbid conditions in a mouse model of neuropathic pain: the involvement of DNA methylation in the prefrontal cortex. Pain 2021; 162:514-530. [PMID: 32796318 PMCID: PMC7808350 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Chronic pain reduces life quality and is an important clinical problem associated with emotional and cognitive dysfunction. Epigenetic regulation of DNA methylation is involved in the induction of abnormal behaviors and pathological gene expression. We examined whether acupuncture can restore epigenetic changes caused by chronic pain, and identified the underlying mechanisms in neuropathic pain mice. Acupuncture treatment for 6 months (3 days/week) improved mechanical/cold allodynia and the emotional/cognitive dysfunction caused by left partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL)-induced neuropathic pain. The effects of acupuncture were associated with global DNA methylation recovery in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Analysis of DNA methylation patterns in PFC indicated that 1364 overlapping genes among 4442 and 4416 methylated genes in the PSNL vs sham and PSNL vs acupuncture points groups, respectively, were highly associated with the DNA methylation process. Acupuncture restored the reduced expression of 5-methylcytosine, methyl-cytosine-phospho-guanine binding protein 2, and DNA methyltransferase family enzymes induced by PSNL in PFC. Methylation levels of Nr4a1 and Chkb associated with mitochondrial dysfunction were decreased in PFC of the PSNL mice, and increased by acupuncture. By contrast, high expression of Nr4a1 and Chkb mRNA in PSNL mice decreased after acupuncture. We also found that acupuncture inhibited the expression of Ras pathway-related genes such as Rasgrp1 and Rassf1. Finally, the expression of Nr4a1, Rasgrp1, Rassf1, and Chkb mRNA increased in the neuronal cells treated with Mecp2 small interfering RNA. These results suggest that acupuncture can relieve chronic pain-induced comorbid conditions by altering DNA methylation of Nr4a1, Rasgrp1, Rassf1, and Chkb in the PFC.
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19
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Saffarpour S, Janzadeh A, Rahimi B, Ramezani F, Nasirinezhad F. Chronic nanocurcumin treatment ameliorates pain-related behavior, improves spatial memory, and reduces hippocampal levels of IL-1β and TNFα in the chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:877-886. [PMID: 33404738 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05739-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Memory deficit is a common cognitive comorbid in patients with neuropathic pain that need better treatment. Recent research revealed that nanocurcumin has an antinociceptive action and a protective effect against memory disorders, suggesting its possible effectiveness for the treatment of neuropathic pain and its comorbidity. METHODS Adult male albino Wistar rats (n = 32) were randomly divided into four experimental groups: CCI+ nanocurcumin, CCI + vehicle, sham + nanocurcumin, and sham + vehicle. Neuropathic pain induced by a chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve. Nanocurcumin or vehicle was injected intraperitoneally for 10 days. Behavioral assessment achieved to evaluate pain threshold in the von Frey test and radiant heat test, also spatial learning and memory examined by the Morris water maze (MWM) test. To explore the possible relation, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels of the hippocampus measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS Our data showed that CCI caused neuropathic pain-related behaviors and spatial learning and memory disorders in rats. Chronic treatment with nanocurcumin significantly increased pain threshold (P < 0.001; F = 27.63, F = 20.58), improved spatial memory (P < 0.01; F = 47.37), and decreased the hippocampal levels of IL-1β (P < 0.001; F = 33.57) and TNF-α (P < 0.01; F = 7.25) in CCI rats. CONCLUSION Chronic nanocurcumin can ameliorate pain-related behavior, improve spatial learning and memory deficits, and is associated with the reduction of IL-1β and TNF-α levels in the hippocampus in CCI rats. Nanocurcumin may be potentially providing a therapeutic alternative for the treatment of neuropathic pain and its memory impairment comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Saffarpour
- Physiology Research Center, Department of Physiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.,Department of Microbiology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atousa Janzadeh
- Radiation Biology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behnaz Rahimi
- Physiology Research Center, Department of Physiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ramezani
- Physiology Research Center, Department of Physiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
| | - Farinaz Nasirinezhad
- Physiology Research Center, Department of Physiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
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20
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Repetitive non-invasive prefrontal stimulation reverses neuropathic pain via neural remodelling in mice. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 201:102009. [PMID: 33621593 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chronic neuropathic pain presents a major challenge to pharmacological therapy and neurostimulation-based alternatives are gaining interest. Although invasive and non-invasive motor cortex stimulation has been the focus of several studies, very little is known about the potential of targeting the prefrontal cortex. This study was designed to elucidate the analgesic potential of prefrontal stimulation in a translational context and to uncover the neural underpinnings thereof. Here, we report that non-invasive, repetitive direct anodal current transcranial stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex exerted analgesia in mice with neuropathic pain for longer than a week. When applied at chronic stages of neuropathic pain, prefrontal tDCS reversed established allodynia and suppressed aversion and anxiety-related behaviours. Activity mapping as well as in vivo electrophysiological analyses revealed that although the cortex responds to acute tDCS with major excitation, repetitive prefrontal tDCS brings about large-scale silencing of cortical activity. Different classes of different classes of GABAergic interneurons and classes of excitatory neurons differs dramatically between single, acute vs and repetitive tDCS. Repetitive prefrontal tDCS alters basal activity as well as responsivity of a discrete set of distant cortical and sub-cortical areas to tactile stimuli, namely the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, the insular cortex, the ventrolateral periaqueductal grey and the spinal dorsal horn. This study thus makes a strong case for harnessing prefrontal cortical modulation for non-invasive transcranial stimulation paradigms to achieve long-lasting pain relief in established neuropathic pain states and provides valuable insights gained on neural mechanistic underpinnings of prefrontal tDCS in neuropathic pain.
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21
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Cellular correlates of gray matter volume changes in magnetic resonance morphometry identified by two-photon microscopy. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4234. [PMID: 33608622 PMCID: PMC7895945 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83491-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain combined with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed changes in gray matter volume (GMV) in various disorders. However, the cellular basis of GMV changes has remained largely unclear. We correlated changes in GMV with cellular metrics by imaging mice with MRI and two-photon in vivo microscopy at three time points within 12 weeks, taking advantage of age-dependent changes in brain structure. Imaging fluorescent cell nuclei allowed inferences on (i) physical tissue volume as determined from reference spaces outlined by nuclei, (ii) cell density, (iii) the extent of cell clustering, and (iv) the volume of cell nuclei. Our data indicate that physical tissue volume alterations only account for 13.0% of the variance in GMV change. However, when including comprehensive measurements of nucleus volume and cell density, 35.6% of the GMV variance could be explained, highlighting the influence of distinct cellular mechanisms on VBM results.
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22
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Joo YH, Kim YK, Choi IG, Kim HJ, Son YD, Kim HK, Cumming P, Kim JH. In vivo glucose metabolism and glutamate levels in mGluR5 knockout mice: a multimodal neuroimaging study using [ 18F]FDG microPET and MRS. EJNMMI Res 2020; 10:116. [PMID: 33006705 PMCID: PMC7532251 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-020-00716-z] [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: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Perturbed functional coupling between the metabotropic glutamate receptor-5 (mGluR5) and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission may contribute to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. We aimed to establish the functional interaction between mGluR5 and NMDA receptors in brain of mice with genetic ablation of the mGluR5. Methods We first measured the brain glutamate levels with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in mGluR5 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. Then, we assessed brain glucose metabolism with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography before and after the acute administration of an NMDA antagonist, MK-801 (0.5 mg/kg), in the same mGluR5 KO and WT mice. Results Between-group comparisons showed no significant differences in [18F]FDG standardized uptake values (SUVs) in brain of mGluR5 KO and WT mice at baseline, but widespread reductions in mGluR5 KO mice compared to WT mice after MK-801 administration (p < 0.05). The baseline glutamate levels did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, there were significant negative correlations between baseline prefrontal glutamate levels and regional [18F]FDG SUVs in mGluR5 KO mice (p < 0.05), but no such correlations in WT mice. Fisher’s Z-transformation analysis revealed significant between-group differences in these correlations (p < 0.05). Conclusions This is the first multimodal neuroimaging study in mGluR5 KO mice and the first report on the association between cerebral glucose metabolism and glutamate levels in living rodents. The results indicate that mGluR5 KO mice respond to NMDA antagonism with reduced cerebral glucose metabolism, suggesting that mGluR5 transmission normally moderates the net effects of NMDA receptor antagonism on neuronal activity. The negative correlation between glutamate levels and glucose metabolism in mGluR5 KO mice at baseline may suggest an unmasking of an inhibitory component of the glutamatergic regulation of neuronal energy metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yo-Han Joo
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun-Kwan Kim
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - In-Gyu Choi
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeon-Jin Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Don Son
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.,Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Graduate School, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Hang-Keun Kim
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.,Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Graduate School, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Paul Cumming
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University, Bern, Switzerland.,School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jong-Hoon Kim
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea. .,Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Graduate School, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea. .,Department of Psychiatry, Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University College of Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University, 1198 Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, 405-760, South Korea.
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Structural brain changes in Ser129-phosphorylated alpha-synuclein rats based on voxel-based morphometry. Behav Brain Res 2020; 393:112786. [PMID: 32592738 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112786] [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: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease has become one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Pathological changes typically manifest following dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra and abnormal alpha-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation in the neurons. α-Syn is the major component of Lewy bodies. However, research pertaining to the spread of abnormal α-syn aggregations, which results in specific damage to the brain structure and function, is lacking. In the present study, full-length human α-syn fibrils were injected into the medial forebrain bundle of rats, with an experimental endpoint of 6 months. Histological analysis was conducted to observe the pathological progress of abnormal endogenous α-syn aggregation and nerve fiber quality. Changes in gray and white matter integrity were quantitatively analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Behavioral changes were observed over the 6-month period. Histological analysis showed reduced dopamine transporter levels in the striatum of the experimental rats; widespread abnormal endogenous α-syn accumulation; and damaged, sparse, and disordered nerve fibers in the experimental group. VBM showed that at 6 months after surgery, bilateral anterior limbic, bilateral inferior limbic, right hippocampal, and right cortical volumes had reduced, whereas thalamic volume had increased in the experimental group compared with that in the control group. Damage to the limbic and thalamic fiber structure may occur in the earlier stages of Parkinson's disease.
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Wang Z, Huang S, Yu X, Li L, Yang M, Liang S, Liu W, Tao J. Altered thalamic neurotransmitters metabolism and functional connectivity during the development of chronic constriction injury induced neuropathic pain. Biol Res 2020; 53:36. [PMID: 32843088 PMCID: PMC7448455 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-020-00303-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To investigate the thalamic neurotransmitters and functional connections in the development of chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain. Methods The paw withdrawal threshold was measured by mechanical stimulation the right hind paw with the von frey hair in the rats of CCI-induced neuropathic pain. The N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and Glutamate (Glu) in thalamus were detected by magnetic resonance spectrum (MRS) process. The thalamic functional connectivity with other brain regions was scanned by functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI). Results The paw withdrawal threshold of the ipsilateral side showed a noticeable decline during the pathological process. Increased concentrations of Glu and decreased levels of NAA in the thalamus were significantly correlated with mechanical allodynia in the neuropathic pain states. The thalamic regional homogeneity (ReHo) decreased during the process of neuropathic pain. The functional connectivity among the thalamus with the insula and somatosensory cortex were significantly increased at different time points (7, 14, 21 days) after CCI surgery. Conclusion Our study suggests that dynamic changes in thalamic NAA and Glu levels contribute to the thalamic functional connection hyper-excitation during CCI-induced neuropathic pain. Enhanced thalamus-insula functional connection might have a significant effect on the occurrence of neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifu Wang
- College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Sheng Huang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China.,Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Rehabilitation Technology, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China
| | - Xiangmei Yu
- College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Long Li
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China.,Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Rehabilitation Technology, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China
| | - Minguang Yang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China.,Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Rehabilitation Technology, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China
| | - Shengxiang Liang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China.,Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Rehabilitation Technology, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China
| | - Weilin Liu
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Jing Tao
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China.
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25
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Abstract
Human and animal imaging studies demonstrated that chronic pain profoundly alters the structure and the functionality of several brain regions. In this article, we conducted a longitudinal and multimodal study to assess how chronic pain affects the brain. Using the spared nerve injury model which promotes both long-lasting mechanical and thermal allodynia/hyperalgesia but also pain-associated comorbidities, we showed that neuropathic pain deeply modified the intrinsic organization of the brain functional network 1 and 2 months after injury. We found that both functional metrics and connectivity of the part A of the retrosplenial granular cortex (RSgA) were significantly correlated with the development of neuropathic pain behaviours. In addition, we found that the functional RSgA connectivity to the subiculum and the prelimbic system are significantly increased in spared nerve injury animals and correlated with peripheral pain thresholds. These brain regions were previously linked to the development of comorbidities associated with neuropathic pain. Using a voxel-based morphometry approach, we showed that neuropathic pain induced a significant increase of the gray matter concentration within the RSgA, associated with a significant activation of both astrocytes and microglial cells. Together, functional and morphological imaging metrics of the RSgA could be used as a predictive biomarker of neuropathic pain.
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Brain-behaviour correlates of habitual motivation in chronic back pain. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11090. [PMID: 32632166 PMCID: PMC7338353 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67386-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain may sap the motivation for positive events and stimuli. This may lead to a negative behavioural cycle reducing the establishment of appetitive habitual engagement. One potential mechanism for this might be biased learning. In our experiment, chronic back pain patients and healthy controls completed an appetitive Pavlovian-instrumental transfer procedure. We examined participants` behaviour and brain activity and reported pain, depression and anxiety. Patients showed reduced habitual behaviour and increased responses in the hippocampus than controls. This behavioural bias was related to motivational value and reflected in the updating of brain activity in prefrontal–striatal–limbic circuits. Moreover, this was influenced by pain symptom duration, depression and anxiety (explained variance: up to 50.7%). Together, findings identify brain-behaviour pathways for maladaptive habitual learning and motivation in chronic back pain, which helps explaining why chronic pain can be resistant to change, and where clinical characteristics are significant modulators.
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27
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Kuner R, Kuner T. Cellular Circuits in the Brain and Their Modulation in Acute and Chronic Pain. Physiol Rev 2020; 101:213-258. [PMID: 32525759 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00040.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic, pathological pain remains a global health problem and a challenge to basic and clinical sciences. A major obstacle to preventing, treating, or reverting chronic pain has been that the nature of neural circuits underlying the diverse components of the complex, multidimensional experience of pain is not well understood. Moreover, chronic pain involves diverse maladaptive plasticity processes, which have not been decoded mechanistically in terms of involvement of specific circuits and cause-effect relationships. This review aims to discuss recent advances in our understanding of circuit connectivity in the mammalian brain at the level of regional contributions and specific cell types in acute and chronic pain. A major focus is placed on functional dissection of sub-neocortical brain circuits using optogenetics, chemogenetics, and imaging technological tools in rodent models with a view towards decoding sensory, affective, and motivational-cognitive dimensions of pain. The review summarizes recent breakthroughs and insights on structure-function properties in nociceptive circuits and higher order sub-neocortical modulatory circuits involved in aversion, learning, reward, and mood and their modulation by endogenous GABAergic inhibition, noradrenergic, cholinergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and peptidergic pathways. The knowledge of neural circuits and their dynamic regulation via functional and structural plasticity will be beneficial towards designing and improving targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohini Kuner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; and Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Kuner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; and Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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28
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Acupuncture Induces Reduction in Limbic-Cortical Feedback of a Neuralgia Rat Model: A Dynamic Causal Modeling Study. Neural Plast 2020; 2020:5052840. [PMID: 32148473 PMCID: PMC7023796 DOI: 10.1155/2020/5052840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neuropathic pain after brachial plexus avulsion remained prevalent and intractable currently. However, the neuroimaging study about neural mechanisms or etiology was limited and blurred. Objective This study is aimed at investigating the effect of electroacupuncture on effective connectivity and neural response in corticolimbic circuitries during implicit processing of nociceptive stimulus in rats with brachial plexus pain. Methods An fMRI scan was performed in a total of 16 rats with brachial plexus pain, which was equally distributed into the model group and the electroacupuncture group. The analysis of task-dependent data determined pain-related activation in each group. Based on those results, several regions including AMY, S1, and h were recruited as ROI in dynamic causal modeling (DCM) analysis comparing evidence for different neuronal hypotheses describing the propagation of noxious stimuli in regions of interest and horizontal comparison of effective connections between the model and electroacupuncture groups. Results In both groups, DCM revealed that noxious stimuli were most likely driven by the somatosensory cortex, with bidirectional propagation with the hypothalamus and amygdala and the interactions in them. Also, the 3-month intervention of acupuncture reduced effective connections of h-S1 and AMY-S1. Conclusions We showed an evidence that a full connection model within the brain network of brachial plexus pain and electroacupuncture intervention reduces effective connectivity from h and AMY to S1. Our study for the first time explored the relationship of involved brain regions with dynamic causal modeling. It provided novel evidence for the feature of the organization of the cortical-limbic network and the alteration caused by acupuncture.
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Prenatal maternal stress is associated with increased sensitivity to neuropathic pain and sex-specific changes in supraspinal mRNA expression of epigenetic- and stress-related genes in adulthood. Behav Brain Res 2020; 380:112396. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Bilbao A, Leixner S, Wei S, Cantacorps L, Valverde O, Spanagel R. Reduced sensitivity to ethanol and excessive drinking in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. Addict Biol 2019; 24:1008-1018. [PMID: 31237390 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The co-occurrence of chronic pain and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) involves complex interactions between genetic and neurophysiological aspects, and the research has reported mixed findings when they both co-occur. There is also an indication of a gender-dependent effect; males are more likely to use alcohol to cope with chronic pain problems than females. Recently, a new conceptualization has emerged, proposing that the negative affective component of pain drives and maintains alcohol-related behaviors. We studied in a longitudinal fashion alterations in alcohol drinking patterns and pain thresholds in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain in a sex-dependent manner. Following partial denervation (spared nerve injury [SNI]), stimulus-evoked pain responses were measured before chronic alcohol consumption, during drinking, during a deprivation phase, and following an episode of excessive drinking. During the course of alcohol drinking, we observed pronounced sex differences in pain thresholds. Male mice showed a strong increase in pain thresholds, suggesting an analgesic effect induced by alcohol over time, an effect that was not observed in female mice. SNI mice did not differ from sham-operated controls in baseline alcohol consumption. However, following a deprivation phase and the reintroduction of ethanol, male SNI mice but not female mice showed more pronounced excessive drinking than controls. Finally, we observed decreased central ethanol sensitivity in male SNI mice but not in females. Together with our finding, that ethanol is able to decrease a pain-induced negative affective memory we come to following conclusion. We propose that a lower sensitivity to the intoxicating effects of alcohol together with the ability of alcohol to reduce the negative affective component of pain may explain the higher co-occurrence of AUD in male chronic pain patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ainhoa Bilbao
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty of Mannheim; Heidelberg University; Mannheim Germany
| | - Sarah Leixner
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty of Mannheim; Heidelberg University; Mannheim Germany
| | - Shoupeng Wei
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty of Mannheim; Heidelberg University; Mannheim Germany
| | - Lídia Cantacorps
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty of Mannheim; Heidelberg University; Mannheim Germany
- Neurobiology of Behavior Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Health and Experimental Sciences, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute); Pompeu Fabra University; Barcelona Spain
| | - Olga Valverde
- Neurobiology of Behavior Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Health and Experimental Sciences, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute); Pompeu Fabra University; Barcelona Spain
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty of Mannheim; Heidelberg University; Mannheim Germany
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Alterations in brain neurocircuitry following treatment with the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel in rats. NEUROBIOLOGY OF PAIN 2019; 6:100034. [PMID: 31223138 PMCID: PMC6565758 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2019.100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Imaging the reorganization of pain neural circuitry within 8 days of chemotherapy. Using rat model of neuropathy with multimodal MRI. Showing loss of anticorrelation between prefrontal cortex and PAG. Identifying the interaction between periaqueductal gray and brainstem raphe.
Human and animal studies suggest that both traumatic nerve injury and toxic challenge with chemotherapeutic agents involves the reorganization of neural circuits in the brain. However, there have been no prospective studies, human or animal, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify changes in brain neural circuitry that accompany the development of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (i.e. within days following cessation of chemotherapy treatment and without the confound cancer). To this end, different MRI protocols were used to ascertain whether a reorganization of brain neural circuits is observed in otherwise normal rats exposed to the taxane chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel. We conducted an imaging study to evaluate the impact of a well-established paclitaxel dosing regimen, validated to induce allodynia in control rats within eight days of treatment, on brain neural circuitry. Rats received either paclitaxel (2 mg/kg/day i.p; cumulative dose of 8 mg/kg) or its vehicle four times on alternate days (i.e. day 0, 2, 4, 6). Following the cessation of treatments (i.e. on day 8), all rats were tested for responsiveness to cold followed by diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging and assessment of resting state functional connectivity. Imaging data were analyzed using a 3D MRI rat with 173 segmented and annotated brain areas. Paclitaxel-treated rats were more sensitive to a cold stimulus compared to controls. Diffusion weighted imaging identified brain areas involved in the emotional and motivational response to chronic pain that were impacted by paclitaxel treatment. Affected brain regions included the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus and the striatum/nucleus accumbens. This putative reorganization of gray matter microarchitecture formed a continuum of brain areas stretching from the basal medial/lateral forebrain to the midbrain. Resting state functional connectivity showed reorganization between the periaqueductal gray, a key node in nociceptive neural circuitry, and connections to the brainstem. Our results, employing different imaging modalities to assess the central nervous system effects of chemotherapy, fit the theory that chronic pain is regulated by emotion and motivation and influences activity in the periaqueductal gray and brainstem to modulate pain perception.
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33
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Ong WY, Stohler CS, Herr DR. Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Pain Processing. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:1137-1166. [PMID: 29876878 PMCID: PMC6400876 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1130-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 343] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is not only important in executive functions, but also pain processing. The latter is dependent on its connections to other areas of the cerebral neocortex, hippocampus, periaqueductal gray (PAG), thalamus, amygdala, and basal nuclei. Changes in neurotransmitters, gene expression, glial cells, and neuroinflammation occur in the PFC during acute and chronic pain, that result in alterations to its structure, activity, and connectivity. The medial PFC (mPFC) could serve dual, opposing roles in pain: (1) it mediates antinociceptive effects, due to its connections with other cortical areas, and as the main source of cortical afferents to the PAG for modulation of pain. This is a ‘loop’ where, on one side, a sensory stimulus is transformed into a perceptual signal through high brain processing activity, and perceptual activity is then utilized to control the flow of afferent sensory stimuli at their entrance (dorsal horn) to the CNS. (2) It could induce pain chronification via its corticostriatal projection, possibly depending on the level of dopamine receptor activation (or lack of) in the ventral tegmental area-nucleus accumbens reward pathway. The PFC is involved in biopsychosocial pain management. This includes repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, antidepressants, acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, music, exercise, partner support, empathy, meditation, and prayer. Studies demonstrate the role of the PFC during placebo analgesia, and in establishing links between pain and depression, anxiety, and loss of cognition. In particular, losses in PFC grey matter are often reversible after successful treatment of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Yi Ong
- Department of Anatomy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119260, Singapore.
- Neurobiology and Ageing Research Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119260, Singapore.
| | | | - Deron R Herr
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119260, Singapore.
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