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Huang M, Wang G, Lin Y, Guo Y, Ren X, Shao J, Cao J, Zang W, Li Z. Dopamine receptor D2, but not D1, mediates the reward circuit from the ventral tegmental area to the central amygdala, which is involved in pain relief. Mol Pain 2022; 18:17448069221145096. [PMID: 36464669 PMCID: PMC9742700 DOI: 10.1177/17448069221145096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain involves both sensory and affective dimensions. The amygdala is a key player in linking nociceptive stimuli to negative emotional behaviors or affective states. Relief of pain is rewarding and activates brain reward circuits. Whether the reward circuit from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the central amygdala (CeA) is involved in pain relief remains unexplored. Using a model of experimental postsurgical pain, we found that pain relief elicited conditioned place preference (CPP), activated CeA-projecting dopaminergic cells in the VTA, and decreased dopaminergic D2 receptor expression in the CeA. Activation of the VTA-CeA neural pathway using optogenetic approaches relieved incisional pain. Administration of a D2 receptor agonist reversed the pain relief elicited by light-induced activation of the VTA-CeA pathway. These findings indicate that the VTA-CeA circuit is involved in pain relief in mice via dopamine receptor D2 in the CeA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjie Huang
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China,Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Sanquan College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Guoqing Wang
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China,Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yazhou Lin
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Yanyan Guo
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Xiuhua Ren
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Jinping Shao
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Jing Cao
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Weidong Zang
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Zhihua Li
- Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China,Zhihua Li, Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences College, Zhengzhou University, 1 Science Road, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China.
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2
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McPherson KB, Ingram SL. Cellular and circuit diversity determines the impact of endogenous opioids in the descending pain modulatory pathway. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:963812. [PMID: 36045708 PMCID: PMC9421147 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.963812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The descending pain modulatory pathway exerts important bidirectional control of nociceptive inputs to dampen and/or facilitate the perception of pain. The ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) integrates inputs from many regions associated with the processing of nociceptive, cognitive, and affective components of pain perception, and is a key brain area for opioid action. Opioid receptors are expressed on a subset of vlPAG neurons, as well as on both GABAergic and glutamatergic presynaptic terminals that impinge on vlPAG neurons. Microinjection of opioids into the vlPAG produces analgesia and microinjection of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone blocks stimulation-mediated analgesia, highlighting the role of endogenous opioid release within this region in the modulation of nociception. Endogenous opioid effects within the vlPAG are complex and likely dependent on specific neuronal circuits activated by acute and chronic pain stimuli. This review is focused on the cellular heterogeneity within vlPAG circuits and highlights gaps in our understanding of endogenous opioid regulation of the descending pain modulatory circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylie B. McPherson
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy,Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Susan L. Ingram
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States,*Correspondence: Susan L. Ingram
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3
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Gavcar EG, Kabukçu Başay B, Avci E, Başay Ö. Relationship between saliva opiorphin levels, pain threshold, and cutting number in adolescents with non suicidal self injury. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 151:611-618. [PMID: 35636040 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.05.030] [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: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Various opinions have been suggested regarding non suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and pain relationship. Opiorphin is a recently found peptide that inhibits enkephaline-catabolizing enzymes. Analgesia caused by opiorphine has been demonstrated in animal experiments. No studies have examined the relationship between opiorphin and pain sensation until today. We aimed to investigate opiorphine and pain threshold among self-injuring adolescents. Adolescents aged 14-18 years were included in the study. The NSSI group consisted of 37 adolescents diagnosed with NSSI according to DSM-V Section 3, and the non-NSSI group consisted of 36 adolescents without any psychiatric disorder. We measured pain threshold with a pressure sensitive algometer device and analyzed saliva opiorphin levels by ELISA method. Mediation analysis was performed using Process Macro developed by Hayes. NSSI group had statistically significantly higher pain threshold and opiorphin levels than the non-NSSI group. There was a positive correlation between pain threshold values and opiorphin levels in the NSSI group. Also, a positive correlation between opiorphin levels and total cutting episode number was found. We searched for a probable relationship of pain threshold with episode number of each type of NSSI act. Accordingly, a positive correlation with two major act and a negative correlation with two minor act was shown. The opiorphine was found to be a mediator variable in the relationship between the pain threshold and the cutting number. The relationship between opiorphin, pain threshold and cutting number and their mediating effects with each other may highlight the pain-based biological origins of NSSI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erdal Görkem Gavcar
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey
| | - Bürge Kabukçu Başay
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
| | - Esin Avci
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey
| | - Ömer Başay
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey
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4
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Zhou W, Li Y, Meng X, Liu A, Mao Y, Zhu X, Meng Q, Jin Y, Zhang Z, Tao W. Switching of delta opioid receptor subtypes in central amygdala microcircuits is associated with anxiety states in pain. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100277. [PMID: 33428940 PMCID: PMC7948800 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety is often comorbid with pain. Delta opioid receptors (DORs) are promising targets for the treatment of pain and mental disorders with little addictive potential. However, their roles in anxiety symptoms at different stages of pain are unclear. In the current study, mice with inflammatory pain at the fourth hour following complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) injection displayed significant anxiety-like behavior, which disappeared at the seventh day. Combining electrophysiology, optogenetics, and pharmacology, we found that activation of delta opioid receptor 1 (DOR1) in the central nucleus amygdala (CeA) inhibited both the anxiolytic excitatory input from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the anxiogenic excitatory input from the parabrachial nucleus (PBN). In contrast, activation of delta opioid receptor 2 (DOR2) did not affect CeA excitatory synaptic transmission in normal and 4-h CFA mice but inhibited the excitatory projection from the PBN rather than the BLA in 7-day CFA mice. Furthermore, the function of both DOR1 and DOR2 was downregulated to the point of not being detectable in the CeA of mice at the 21st day following CFA injection. Taken together, these results suggest that functional switching of DOR1 and DOR2 is associated with anxiety states at different stages of pain via modulating the activity of specific pathways (BLA-CeA and PBN-CeA).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Zhou
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Yanhua Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaojing Meng
- Department of Science and Education, Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - An Liu
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yu Mao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xia Zhu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Qian Meng
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Jin
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Zhi Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
| | - Wenjuan Tao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
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Bagley EE, Ingram SL. Endogenous opioid peptides in the descending pain modulatory circuit. Neuropharmacology 2020; 173:108131. [PMID: 32422213 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The opioid epidemic has led to a serious examination of the use of opioids for the treatment of pain. Opioid drugs are effective due to the expression of opioid receptors throughout the body. These receptors respond to endogenous opioid peptides that are expressed as polypeptide hormones that are processed by proteolytic cleavage. Endogenous opioids are expressed throughout the peripheral and central nervous system and regulate many different neuronal circuits and functions. One of the key functions of endogenous opioid peptides is to modulate our responses to pain. This review will focus on the descending pain modulatory circuit which consists of the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (PAG) projections to the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). RVM projections modulate incoming nociceptive afferents at the level of the spinal cord. Stimulation within either the PAG or RVM results in analgesia and this circuit has been studied in detail in terms of the actions of exogenous opioids, such as morphine and fentanyl. Further emphasis on understanding the complex regulation of endogenous opioids will help to make rational decisions with regard to the use of opioids for pain. We also include a discussion of the actions of endogenous opioids in the amygdala, an upstream brain structure that has reciprocal connections to the PAG that contribute to the brain's response to pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena E Bagley
- Discipline of Pharmacology and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Susan L Ingram
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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Periaqueductal gray and emotions: the complexity of the problem and the light at the end of the tunnel, the magnetic resonance imaging. Endocr Regul 2018; 52:222-238. [DOI: 10.2478/enr-2018-0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is less referred in relationship with emotions than other parts of the brain (e.g. cortex, thalamus, amygdala), most probably because of the difficulty to reach and manipulate this small and deeply lying structure. After defining how to evaluate emotions, we have reviewed the literature and summarized data of the PAG contribution to the feeling of emotions focusing on the behavioral and neurochemical considerations. In humans, emotions can be characterized by three main domains: the physiological changes, the communicative expressions, and the subjective experiences. In animals, the physiological changes can mainly be studied. Indeed, early studies have considered the PAG as an important center of the emotions-related autonomic and motoric processes. However, in vivo imaging have changed our view by highlighting the PAG as a significant player in emotions-related cognitive processes. The PAG lies on the crossroad of networks important in the regulation of emotions and therefore it should not be neglected. In vivo imaging represents a good tool for studying this structure in living organism and may reveal new information about its role beyond its importance in the neurovegetative regulation.
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7
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Tian X, Hou X, Wang K, Wei D, Qiu J. Neuroanatomical correlates of individual differences in social anxiety in a non-clinical population. Soc Neurosci 2015; 11:424-37. [PMID: 26442578 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2015.1091037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Socially anxious individuals are characterized as those with distorted negative self-beliefs (NSBs), which are thought to enhance reactions of social distress (emotional reactivity) and social avoidance (social functioning). However, it remains unclear whether individual differences in social distress and social avoidance are represented by differences in brain morphometry. To probe into these neural correlates, we analyzed magnetic resonance images of a sample of 130 healthy subjects and used the Connectome Computation System (CCS) to evaluate these factors. The results showed that social distress was correlated with the cortical volume of the right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the subcortical volume of the left amygdala, while social avoidance was correlated with the cortical volume of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Additionally, loneliness might mediate the relationship between the amygdala volume and the social distress score. Our results demonstrated that social distress and social avoidance were represented by segregated cortical regions in the healthy individuals. These findings might provide a valuable basis for understanding the stable brain structures underlying individual differences in social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Tian
- a Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) , Ministry of Education , Chongqing , China.,b Department of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China
| | - Xin Hou
- a Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) , Ministry of Education , Chongqing , China.,b Department of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China
| | - Kangcheng Wang
- a Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) , Ministry of Education , Chongqing , China.,b Department of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China
| | - Dongtao Wei
- a Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) , Ministry of Education , Chongqing , China.,b Department of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- a Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) , Ministry of Education , Chongqing , China.,b Department of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China
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Veening JG, Barendregt HP. The effects of beta-endorphin: state change modification. Fluids Barriers CNS 2015; 12:3. [PMID: 25879522 PMCID: PMC4429837 DOI: 10.1186/2045-8118-12-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Beta-endorphin (β-END) is an opioid neuropeptide which has an important role in the development of hypotheses concerning the non-synaptic or paracrine communication of brain messages. This kind of communication between neurons has been designated volume transmission (VT) to differentiate it clearly from synaptic communication. VT occurs over short as well as long distances via the extracellular space in the brain, as well as via the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flowing through the ventricular spaces inside the brain and the arachnoid space surrounding the central nervous system (CNS). To understand how β-END can have specific behavioral effects, we use the notion behavioral state, inspired by the concept of machine state, coming from Turing (Proc London Math Soc, Series 2,42:230-265, 1937). In section 1.4 the sequential organization of male rat behavior is explained showing that an animal is not free to switch into another state at any given moment. Funneling-constraints restrict the number of possible behavioral transitions in specific phases while at other moments in the sequence the transition to other behavioral states is almost completely open. The effects of β-END on behaviors like food intake and sexual behavior, and the mechanisms involved in reward, meditation and pain control are discussed in detail. The effects on the sequential organization of behavior and on state transitions dominate the description of these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan G Veening
- />Department of Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, PO Box 9101, 6500HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Abstract
This paper is the thirty-sixth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2013 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior, and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia; stress and social status; tolerance and dependence; learning and memory; eating and drinking; alcohol and drugs of abuse; sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology; mental illness and mood; seizures and neurologic disorders; electrical-related activity and neurophysiology; general activity and locomotion; gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions; cardiovascular responses; respiration and thermoregulation; and immunological responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bodnar
- Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology Doctoral Sub-Program, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
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