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Psyrakis D, Jasiewicz J, Wehrmeister M, Bonni K, Lutz B, Kodirov SA. Progressive long-term synaptic depression at cortical inputs into the amygdala. Neuroscience 2024; 556:52-65. [PMID: 39094820 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.07.049] [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: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
The convergence of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli (CS and US) into the lateral amygdala (LA) serves as a substrate for an adequate fear response in vivo. This well-known Pavlovian paradigm modulates the synaptic plasticity of neurons, as can be proved by the long-term potentiation (LTP) phenomenon in vitro. Although there is an increasing body of evidence for the existence of LTP in the amygdala, only a few studies were able to show a reliable long-term depression (LTD) of excitation in this structure. We have used coronal brain slices and conducted patch-clamp recordings in pyramidal neurons of the lateral amygdala (LA). After obtaining a stable baseline excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) response at a holding potential of -70 mV, we employed a paired-pulse paradigm at 1 Hz at the same membrane potential and could observe a reliable LTD. The different durations of stimulation (ranging between 1.5-24 min) were tested first in the same neuron, but the intensity was kept constant. The latter paradigm resulted in a step-wise LTD with a gradually increasing magnitude under these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Psyrakis
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Julia Jasiewicz
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael Wehrmeister
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kathrin Bonni
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Beat Lutz
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sodikdjon A Kodirov
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Center for Biomedical Studies, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Brownsville, TX 78520, USA; Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
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2
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Yakhnitsa V, Thompson J, Ponomareva O, Ji G, Kiritoshi T, Mahimainathan L, Molehin D, Pruitt K, Neugebauer V. Dysfunction of Small-Conductance Ca 2+-Activated Potassium (SK) Channels Drives Amygdala Hyperexcitability and Neuropathic Pain Behaviors: Involvement of Epigenetic Mechanisms. Cells 2024; 13:1055. [PMID: 38920682 PMCID: PMC11201618 DOI: 10.3390/cells13121055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroplasticity in the amygdala and its central nucleus (CeA) is linked to pain modulation and pain behaviors, but cellular mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we addressed the role of small-conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (SK) channels in pain-related amygdala plasticity. The facilitatory effects of the intra-CeA application of an SK channel blocker (apamin) on the pain behaviors of control rats were lost in a neuropathic pain model, whereas an SK channel activator (NS309) inhibited pain behaviors in neuropathic rats but not in sham controls, suggesting the loss of the inhibitory behavioral effects of amygdala SK channels. Brain slice electrophysiology found hyperexcitability of CeA neurons in the neuropathic pain condition due to the loss of SK channel-mediated medium afterhyperpolarization (mAHP), which was accompanied by decreased SK2 channel protein and mRNA expression, consistent with a pretranscriptional mechanisms. The underlying mechanisms involved the epigenetic silencing of the SK2 gene due to the increased DNA methylation of the CpG island of the SK2 promoter region and the change in methylated CpG sites in the CeA in neuropathic pain. This study identified the epigenetic dysregulation of SK channels in the amygdala (CeA) as a novel mechanism of neuropathic pain-related plasticity and behavior that could be targeted to control abnormally enhanced amygdala activity and chronic neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vadim Yakhnitsa
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Jeremy Thompson
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Olga Ponomareva
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Guangchen Ji
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Takaki Kiritoshi
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Lenin Mahimainathan
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Deborah Molehin
- Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Kevin Pruitt
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Volker Neugebauer
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Garrison Institute on Aging, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
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Sato N, Takahashi Y, Sugimura YK, Kato F. Presynaptic inhibition of excitatory synaptic transmission from the calcitonin gene-related peptide-containing parabrachial neurons to the central amygdala in mice - unexpected influence of systemic inflammation thereon. J Pharmacol Sci 2024; 154:264-273. [PMID: 38485344 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphs.2024.02.004] [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: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The monosynaptic connection from the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB) to the central amygdala (CeA) serves as a fundamental pathway for transmitting nociceptive signals to the brain. The LPB receives nociceptive information from the dorsal horn and spinal trigeminal nucleus and sends it to the "nociceptive" CeA, which modulates pain-associated emotions and nociceptive sensitivity. To elucidate the role of densely expressed mu-opioid receptors (MORs) within this pathway, we investigated the effects of exogenously applied opioids on LPB-CeA synaptic transmission, employing optogenetics in mice expressing channelrhodopsin-2 in LPB neurons with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). A MOR agonist ([D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Glycinol5]-enkephalin, DAMGO) significantly reduced the amplitude of light-evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (leEPSCs), in a manner negatively correlated with an increase in the paired-pulse ratio. An antagonist of MORs significantly attenuated these effects. Notably, this antagonist significantly increased leEPSC amplitude when applied alone, an effect further amplified in mice subjected to lipopolysaccharide injection 2 h before brain isolation, yet not observed at the 24-h mark. We conclude that opioids could shut off the ascending nociceptive signal at the LPB-CeA synapse through presynaptic mechanisms. Moreover, this gating process might be modulated by endogenous opioids, and the innate immune system influences this modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoko Sato
- Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan; Center for Neuroscience of Pain, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Yukari Takahashi
- Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan; Center for Neuroscience of Pain, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Yae K Sugimura
- Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan; Center for Neuroscience of Pain, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Fusao Kato
- Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan; Center for Neuroscience of Pain, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
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Yajima M, Takahashi Y, Sugimura YK, Kato F. Pregabalin attenuates long-lasting post-inflammatory nociplastic mechanical sensitization in mice. NEUROBIOLOGY OF PAIN (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 13:100131. [PMID: 37215502 PMCID: PMC10195975 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2023.100131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Nociplastic pain, the most recently proposed mechanistic descriptor of chronic pain, is the pain resulting from an altered nociceptive system and network without clear evidence of nociceptor activation, injury or disease in the somatosensory system. As the pain-associated symptoms in many patients suffering from undiagnosed pain would result from the nociplastic mechanisms, it is an urgent issue to develop pharmaceutical therapies that would mitigate the aberrant nociception in nociplastic pain. We have recently reported that a single injection of formalin to the upper lip shows sustained sensitization lasting for more than 12 days at the bilateral hindpaws, where there is no injury or neuropathy in rats. Using the equivalent model in mice, we show that pregabalin (PGB), a drug used for treating neuropathic pain, significantly attenuates this formalin-induced widespread sensitization at the bilateral hindpaws, even on the 6 day after the initial single orofacial injection of formalin. On the 10th day after formalin injection, the hindlimb sensitization before PGB injection was no more significant in mice receiving daily PGB injections, unlike those receiving daily vehicle injections. This result suggests that PGB would act on the central pain mechanisms that undergo nociplastic changes triggered by initial inflammation and mitigate widespread sensitization resulting from the established changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manami Yajima
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Dental Anesthesiology, School of Dental Medicine, Tsurumi University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yukari Takahashi
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yae K. Sugimura
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fusao Kato
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Koga K, Kobayashi K, Tsuda M, Kubota K, Kitano Y, Furue H. Voltage-gated calcium channel subunit α 2δ-1 in spinal dorsal horn neurons contributes to aberrant excitatory synaptic transmission and mechanical hypersensitivity after peripheral nerve injury. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1099925. [PMID: 37033377 PMCID: PMC10076860 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1099925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain, an intractable pain symptom that occurs after nerve damage, is caused by the aberrant excitability of spinal dorsal horn (SDH) neurons. Gabapentinoids, the most commonly used drugs for neuropathic pain, inhibit spinal calcium-mediated neurotransmitter release by binding to α2δ-1, a subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels, and alleviate neuropathic pain. However, the exact contribution of α2δ-1 expressed in SDH neurons to the altered synaptic transmission and mechanical hypersensitivity following nerve injury is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated which types of SDH neurons express α2δ-1 and how α2δ-1 in SDH neurons contributes to the mechanical hypersensitivity and altered spinal synaptic transmission after nerve injury. Using in situ hybridization technique, we found that Cacna2d1, mRNA coding α2δ-1, was mainly colocalized with Slc17a6, an excitatory neuronal marker, but not with Slc32a1, an inhibitory neuronal marker in the SDH. To investigate the role of α2δ-1 in SDH neurons, we used clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 system and showed that SDH neuron-specific ablation of Cacna2d1 alleviated mechanical hypersensitivity following nerve injury. We further found that excitatory post-synaptic responses evoked by electrical stimulation applied to the SDH were significantly enhanced after nerve injury, and that these enhanced responses were significantly decreased by application of mirogabalin, a potent α2δ-1 inhibitor, and by SDH neuron-specific ablation of Cacna2d1. These results suggest that α2δ-1 expressed in SDH excitatory neurons facilitates spinal nociceptive synaptic transmission and contributes to the development of mechanical hypersensitivity after nerve injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Koga
- Department of Neurophysiology, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Japan
- Keisuke Koga,
| | - Kenta Kobayashi
- Section of Viral Vector Development, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Makoto Tsuda
- Department of Molecular and System Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazufumi Kubota
- Specialty Medicine Research Laboratories I, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kitano
- Specialty Medicine Research Laboratories I, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hidemasa Furue
- Department of Neurophysiology, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Japan
- *Correspondence: Hidemasa Furue,
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Tajerian M, Amrami M, Betancourt JM. Is there hemispheric specialization in the chronic pain brain? Exp Neurol 2022; 355:114137. [PMID: 35671801 PMCID: PMC10723052 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Organismal bilateral symmetry is associated with near-identical halves of the central nervous system, with certain functions displaying specialization through one brain hemisphere. The processing of pain in the brain as well as brain plasticity in the context of painful injuries have garnered much attention in recent decades. Noninvasive brain imaging studies in pain-free human subjects have identified multiple brain regions that are linked to the sensory and affective components of pain. Longlasting adaptations in brains of chronic pain sufferers have likewise been described, suggesting a mechanism for pain chronification. Invasive molecular and biochemical studies in animal models have expanded on these findings, with added emphasis on the role of specific genes and molecules involved. To date, the extent of hemispheric asymmetry in the context of pain is not well-understood. This topical review evaluates the evidence of hemispheric specialization observed in humans and rodent models of pain and compares it to findings where such asymmetry is absent. Our review shows conflicting information regarding the existence of pain-related asymmetry, and if so, the side to which it can be localized. This could be due to the heterogeneity of pain processing pathways, heterogeneity in study parameters, as well as differences in data reporting. With the advent of progressively sophisticated non-invasive tools that can be used in human subjects, in addition to more precise methods to visualize and control specific brain regions or neuronal ensembles in animal models, we predict that the next few decades will witness a better understanding of the supraspinal control and processing of chronic pain, including the role of each of its hemispheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maral Tajerian
- Department of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY 11367, USA; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Michael Amrami
- Department of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY 11367, USA
| | - John Michael Betancourt
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
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Presto P, Neugebauer V. Sex Differences in CGRP Regulation and Function in the Amygdala in a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:928587. [PMID: 35726298 PMCID: PMC9206543 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.928587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala has emerged as a key player in the emotional response to pain and pain modulation. The lateral and capsular regions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) represent the “nociceptive amygdala” due to their high content of neurons that process pain-related information. These CeA divisions are the targets of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway, which is the predominant source of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) within the amygdala. Changes in lateral and capsular CeA neurons have previously been observed in pain models, and synaptic plasticity in these areas has been linked to pain-related behavior. CGRP has been demonstrated to play an important role in peripheral and spinal mechanisms, and in pain-related amygdala plasticity in male rats in an acute arthritis pain model. However, the role of CGRP in chronic neuropathic pain-related amygdala function and behaviors remains to be determined for both male and female rats. Here we tested the hypothesis that the CGRP1 receptor is involved in neuropathic pain-related amygdala activity, and that blockade of this receptor can inhibit neuropathic pain behaviors in both sexes. CGRP mRNA expression levels in the CeA of male rats were upregulated at the acute stage of the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model of neuropathic pain, whereas female rats had significantly higher CGRP and CGRP receptor component expression at the chronic stage. A CGRP1 receptor antagonist (CGRP 8-37) administered into the CeA in chronic neuropathic rats reduced mechanical hypersensitivity (von Frey and paw compression tests) in both sexes but showed female-predominant effects on emotional-affective responses (ultrasonic vocalizations) and anxiety-like behaviors (open field test). CGRP 8-37 inhibited the activity of CeA output neurons assessed with calcium imaging in brain slices from chronic neuropathic pain rats. Together, these findings may suggest that CGRP1 receptors in the CeA are involved in neuropathic pain-related amygdala activity and contribute to sensory aspects in both sexes but to emotional-affective pain responses predominantly in females. The sexually dimorphic function of CGRP in the amygdala would make CGRP1 receptors a potential therapeutic target for neuropathic pain relief, particularly in females in chronic pain conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peyton Presto
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Volker Neugebauer
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
- Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
- Garrison Institute on Aging, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Volker Neugebauer
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de Lima Silva AHB, Radulski DR, Pereira GS, Acco A, Zanoveli JM. A single injection of pregabalin induces short- and long-term beneficial effects on fear memory and anxiety-like behavior in rats with experimental type-1 diabetes mellitus. Metab Brain Dis 2022; 37:1095-1110. [PMID: 35239142 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-022-00936-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety Disorders and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) associated with type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are increasingly common comorbidities and the treatment is quite challenging. In that sense, evidence indicates that the anticonvulsant pregabalin is highly effective in treating severe cases of anxiety, as well as PTSD and diabetic neuropathic pain which is also very prevalent in T1DM. Herein, the short- and long-term effects of a single injection of pregabalin on the acquisition of a fear extinction memory and parameters of anxiety in induced-T1DM animals were investigated. For that, we used the contextual fear conditioning (CFC) and elevated plus maze paradigms, respectively. A putative antioxidant activity was also evaluated. Our findings demonstrated that induced-T1DM animals presented greater expression of fear memory, difficulty in extinguishing this fear memory, associated with a more pronounced anxiety-like response. Pregabalin was able to induce a short and long-lasting effect by facilitating the acquisition of the fear extinction memory and inducing a later anxiolytic-like effect. Also, the increased lipid peroxidation levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of induced-T1DM rats were reduced after pregabalin injection, while the decreased levels of reduced glutathione were increased in the hippocampus. Despite the need for more studies to understand the mechanism of action of pregabalin under these conditions, our data demonstrate for the first time that a single injection of pregabalin in a specific time window was able to improve behavioral parameters in addition to inducing neuroprotective effect. Thus, pregabalin has potential worth exploring for the treatment of PTSD and/or Anxiety associated with T1DM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Debora Rasec Radulski
- Department of Pharmacology, Biological Science Sector, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Saidel Pereira
- Department of Pharmacology, Biological Science Sector, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Alexandra Acco
- Department of Pharmacology, Biological Science Sector, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Janaina Menezes Zanoveli
- Department of Pharmacology, Biological Science Sector, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
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Acetaminophen and pregabalin attenuate central sensitization in rodent models of nociplastic widespread pain. Neuropharmacology 2022; 210:109029. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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