Urothelial bladder afferents selectively project to L6/S1 levels and are more peptidergic than those projecting to the T13/L1 levels in female rats

This neuroanatomical study in four, adult, Sprague-Dawley female rats quantified the number of Urothelial (labeled by intravesical DiI dye administration) and Non-Urothelial (labeled by intraparenchymal injection of Fast blue dye) bladder primary afferent neurons (bPANs) located in the T13, L1, L6 and S1 dorsal root ganglia. Additional immunohistochemical labeling using antibodies to detect either Substance P or CGRP further characterized the bPAN samples as peptidergic or non-peptidergic. Cell counts indicated that Urothelial bPANs were more common at the L6/S1 levels and more likely to be identified as peptidergic when compared with bPANs characterized at T13/L1 levels and with Non-Urothelial bPANs. These studies provide additional evidence that at least two distinct neuronal populations, with differing localization of sensory terminals, differing peptide content, and differing projections to the central nervous system, are responsible for bladder sensation.

A Model for Self-Organization of Sensorimotor Function: Spinal Interneuronal Integration

Control of musculoskeletal systems depends on integration of voluntary commands and somatosensory feedback in the complex neural circuits of the spinal cord. Particular connectivity patterns have been identified experimentally, and it has been suggested that these may result from the wide variety of transcriptional types that have been observed in spinal interneurons. We ask instead whether the details of these connectivity patterns (and perhaps many others) can arise as a consequence of Hebbian adaptation during early development. We constructed an anatomically simplified model plant system with realistic muscles and sensors and connected it to a recurrent, random neuronal network consisting of both excitatory and inhibitory neurons endowed with Hebbian learning rules. We then generated a wide set of randomized muscle twitches typical of those described during fetal development and allowed the network to learn. Multiple simulations consistently resulted in diverse and stable patterns of activity and connectivity that included subsets of the interneurons that were similar to 'archetypical' interneurons described in the literature. We also found that such learning led to an increased degree of cooperativity between interneurons when performing larger limb movements on which it had not been trained. Hebbian learning gives rise to rich sets of diverse interneurons whose connectivity reflects the mechanical properties of the plant. At least some of the transcriptomic diversity may reflect the effects of this process rather than the cause of the connectivity. Such a learning process seems better suited to respond to the musculoskeletal mutations that underlie the evolution of new species.

Purinergic signalling in spinal pain processing

Purinergic signalling plays important roles in somatosensory and nociceptive transmission in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Physiologically, ATP mediates excitatory postsynaptic responses in nociceptive transmission in the superficial dorsal horn, and in transmission of innocuous primary afferent inputs in the deep dorsal horn. Additionally, extracellular conversion of ATP to adenosine mediates inhibitory postsynaptic responses from Pacinian corpuscle afferents, and is implicated in analgesia caused by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in humans. In terms of pathological pain, P2X4 receptors de novo expressed on dorsal horn microglia are implicated in pain hypersensitivity following peripheral nerve injury. There is evidence that involvement of such P2X4 receptors is sexually dimorphic, occurring in males but not in females. Thus, the roles of purinergic signalling in physiological and pathological pain processing are complex and remain an ever-expanding field of research.

The development of somatosensory neurons: Insights into pain and itch

Primary nociceptors are a heterogeneous class of peripheral somatosensory neurons, responsible for detecting noxious, pruriceptive, and thermal stimuli. These neurons are further divided into several molecularly defined subtypes that correlate with their functional sensory modalities and morphological features. During development, all nociceptors arise from a common pool of embryonic precursors, and then segregate progressively into their mature specialized phenotypes. In this review, we summarize the intrinsic transcriptional programs and extrinsic trophic factor signaling mechanisms that interact to control nociceptor diversification. We also discuss how recent transcriptome profiling studies have significantly advanced the field of sensory neuron development.

[Neuropathic pruritus]

In the past 10 years specific pathways for pruritus have been characterized on a cellular and molecular level but their exact role in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pruritus remains unclear. This also applies to the question which of the competing theories for pruritus, e.g. specificity, temporal/spatial pattern or intensity, would best apply. While experimental trials on mice have mostly confirmed the theory of specificity, the results on humans indicate a role of spatial and temporal patterns. The skin innervation is greatly reduced by the neuropathy and could provide a "spatial contrast pattern" and the axotomy could induce a de novo expression of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) in primarily afferent nociceptors and thus modulate spinal pruritus processing. In addition, the overlap of pruritus and pain in neuropathy patients complicates the direct translation from animal experiments and requires collaboration at the clinical level between pain medicine and dermatology.

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) from satellite glial cells tonically depresses the excitability of primary afferent fibers

Primary afferent fibers express extrasynaptic GABA_A and GABA_B receptors in the axons and soma. However, whether these receptors are tonically activated by ambient GABA and the source of the neurotransmitter is presently unknown. Here, we show that GABA release from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) does not depend on extracellular calcium, but depends upon calcium released from intracellular stores, and is mediated by Best1 channels. Using a preparation consisting of the spinal nerve in continuity with the DRG and the dorsal root, we found that endogenous GABA tonically activates GABA receptors, depressing the excitability of the primary afferents. In addition, using HPLC we found that GABA is released in the DRG, and by immunofluorescence microscopy we show the presence of GABA, the Best1 channel, and some enzymes of the putrescine pathway of GABA biosynthesis, in glutamine synthase- and GFAP-positive satellite glial cells. Last, we found that the blockade of the Best1 channel activity reduced the excitability of primary afferents and prevented the activation of the GABA receptors. These results suggest that satellite glial cells may be the source of endogenous GABA released in the DRG via Best1 channels, which tonically activates extrasynaptic GABA receptors.

Alleviating pain with delta opioid receptor agonists: evidence from experimental models

The use of opioids for the relief of pain and headache disorders has been studied for years. Nowadays, particularly because of its ability to produce analgesia in various pain models, delta opioid receptor (DOPr) emerges as a promising target for the development of new pain therapies. Indeed, their potential to avoid the unwanted effects commonly observed with clinically used opioids acting at the mu opioid receptor (MOPr) suggests that DOPr agonists could be a therapeutic option. In this review, we discuss the use of opioids in the management of pain in addition to describing the evidence of the analgesic potency of DOPr agonists in animal models.

Cuneate spiking neural network learning to classify naturalistic texture stimuli under varying sensing conditions

We implemented a functional neuronal network that was able to learn and discriminate haptic features from biomimetic tactile sensor inputs using a two-layer spiking neuron model and homeostatic synaptic learning mechanism. The first order neuron model was used to emulate biological tactile afferents and the second order neuron model was used to emulate biological cuneate neurons. We have evaluated 10 naturalistic textures using a passive touch protocol, under varying sensing conditions. Tactile sensor data acquired with five textures under five sensing conditions were used for a synaptic learning process, to tune the synaptic weights between tactile afferents and cuneate neurons. Using post-learning synaptic weights, we evaluated the individual and population cuneate neuron responses by decoding across 10 stimuli, under varying sensing conditions. This resulted in a high decoding performance. We further validated the decoding performance across stimuli, irrespective of sensing velocities using a set of 25 cuneate neuron responses. This resulted in a median decoding performance of 96% across the set of cuneate neurons. Being able to learn and perform generalized discrimination across tactile stimuli, makes this functional spiking tactile system effective and suitable for further robotic applications.

Differential suppression of the ipsi- and contralateral nociceptive reflexes in the neonatal rat spinal cord by agonists of µ-, δ- and κ-opioid receptors

Nociceptive discharges caused by the unilateral tissue damage are processed in the spinal cord by both ipsi- and contralateral neuronal circuits. The mechanisms of the neurotransmitter control of this bilateral excitation spread is poorly understood. Spinally administered opiates are known to suppress nociceptive transmission and nociceptive withdrawal reflexes. Here we investigated whether three major types of opioid receptors are involved in the bilateral control of the spinal nociceptive sensorimotor processing. Effects of the µ-, δ- and κ-opioid receptor agonists on the ipsi- and contralateral nociceptive reflexes were studied by recording slow ventral root potentials in an isolated spinal cord preparation of the new-born rat. Absolute levels of expression of the opioid genes were analyzed by the droplet digital PCR. Ipsi- and contralateral slow ventral root potentials were most strongly suppressed by the µ-opioid receptor agonist DAMGO, by 63% and 85%, followed by the κ-opioid receptor agonist U-50488H, by 44% and 73%, and δ-opioid receptor agonist leucine-enkephalin, by 27% and 49%, respectively. All these agonists suppressed stronger contra- than ipsilateral responses. Naloxone prevented effects of the agonists indicating that they act through opioid receptors, which, as we show, are expressed in the neonatal spinal cord at the levels similar to those in adults. Thus, opioid receptor agonists suppress the segmental nociceptive reflexes. Stronger contralateral effects suggest that the endogenous opioid system regulates sensorimotor processing in the spinal commissural pathways. These effects of opioids may be relevant for treatment of symmetric clinical pain symptoms caused by unilateral tissue injury.

Enzymatic conversion of ATP to adenosine contributes to ATP-induced inhibition of glutamate release in rat medullary dorsal horn neurons

Purine nucleotides, such as ATP and ADP, activate ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y receptors to regulate neurotransmitter release in the peripheral as well as central nervous system. Here we report another type of ATP-induced presynaptic modulation of glutamate release in rat medullary dorsal horn neurons. Glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) induced by electrical stimulation of trigeminal tract were recorded from horizontal brain stem slices using a whole-cell patch clamp technique. ATP decreased the amplitude of glutamatergic EPSCs in a reversible and concentration dependent manner and increased the paired-pulse ratio. In addition, ATP reduced the frequency of miniature EPSCs without affecting the current amplitude, suggesting that ATP acts presynaptically to reduce the probability of glutamate release. The ATP-induced decrease in glutamatergic EPSCs was not affected by P2X and P2Y receptor antagonists, but was completely blocked by DPCPX, a selective adenosine A1 receptor antagonist. The ATP-induced decrease in glutamatergic EPSCs was also inhibited by an inhibitor of tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase but not by inhibitors of other enzymes such as ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases and ecto-5'-nucleotidases. The results suggest that exogenously applied purine nucleotides are rapidly converted to adenosine by specific enzymes, and subsequently act on presynaptic A1 receptors to inhibit glutamate release from primary afferent terminals. This type of modulation mediated by purine nucleotides may play an important role in regulating nociceptive transmission from orofacial tissues.

Histamine upregulates Nav1.8 expression in primary afferent neurons via H2 receptors: involvement in neuropathic pain

INTRODUCTION

The upregulation of Nav1.8 in primary afferents plays a critical role in the development and persistence of neuropathic pain. The mechanisms underlying the upregulation are not fully understood.

AIMS

The present study aims to investigate the regulatory effect of histamine on the expression of Nav1.8 in primary afferent neurons and its involvement in neuropathic pain.

RESULTS

Histamine at 10(-8) M increased the expression of Nav1.8 in cultured DRG neurons. This effect could be blocked by H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine or famotidine, but not by H1 receptor antagonist pyrilamine or dual H3 /H4 antagonist thioperamide. Peri-sciatic administration of histamine increased Nav1.8 expression in the sciatic nerve and L4/L5 DRG neurons in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied with remarkable mechanical allodynia and heat hyperalgesia in the ipsilateral hindpaw. Famotidine but not pyrilamine or thioperamide inhibited Nav1.8 upregulation and pain hypersensitivity. In addition, famotidine (40 mg/kg, i.p.) not only suppressed autotomy behavior in the rat neuroma model of neuropathic pain but also attenuated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia following partial sciatic nerve ligation. Moreover, famotidine inhibited Nav1.8 upregulation in the neuroma and ligated sciatic nerve.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that histamine increases Nav1.8 expression in primary afferent neurons via H2 receptor-mediated pathway and thereby contributes to neuropathic pain. H2 receptor antagonists may potentially be used as analgesics for patients with neuropathic pain.

Longitudinal projections of primary afferents from the single dorsal root ganglion of the cervical or lumbosacral enlargements in chickens

Central projections originated from a single dorsal root ganglion (DRG) were studied in the chicken focusing on the rostrocaudal extension of primary afferents in each lamina by using anterograde labeling by lectin-HRP injection into either the 15th or the 24th DRG. In the injection into the 15th DRG, labeled fibers (LFs) were found in a wide rostrocaudal range of laminas IV (the spinal segment (SS) 1-20) and V (SS 4-18) and in a narrow range of other laminas. In the injection into the 24th DRG, LFs were distributed in a similar rostrocaudal range in all laminas except for laminas VIII and IX. LFs in laminas VIII and IX were restricted in the tracer injected segment. LFs in the lateral funiculus derived from both the enlargements projected into the rostral lamina III in addition to the lower medulla oblongata. There was little overlap in the extent of the primary terminal areas from both the enlargements.

Fifth lumbar spinal nerve injury causes neurochemical changes in corresponding as well as adjacent spinal segments: a possible mechanism underlying neuropathic pain

Previous investigations of the anatomical basis of the neuropathic-like manifestations in the spinal nerve ligation animal model have shown that the central terminations of the unmyelinated primary afferents of L5 spinal nerve are not restricted to the corresponding L5 spinal segment, and rather extend to two spinal segments rostrally and one segment caudally where they intermingle with primary afferents of the adjacent L4 spinal nerve. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neurochemical changes in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and DRGs after L5 nerve injury in rats. In the first experiment, the right L5 nerve was ligated and sectioned for 14 days, and isolectin B4 (IB4, a tracer for unmyelinated primary afferents) was injected into the left L5 nerve. The results showed that the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) was up-regulated in laminae I-II of L3-L6 spinal segments on the right side in exactly the same areas where IB4 labelled terminals were revealed on the left side. In the second experiment, L5 was ligated and sectioned and the spinal cord and DRGs were stained immunocytochemically with antibodies raised against various peptides known to be involved in pain transmission and hyperalgesia. The results showed that L5 nerve lesion caused down-regulation of substance P, calcitonin-gene related peptide and IB4 binding and up-regulation of neuropeptide Y and neurokinin-1 receptor in the dorsal horn of L4 and L5 spinal segments. Similar neurochemical changes were observed only in the corresponding L5 DRG with minimal effects observed in L3, L4 and L6 DRGs. Although, L5 nerve injury caused an up-regulation in NPY, no change in SP and CGRP immunoreactivity was observed in ipsilateral garcile nucleus. These neuroplastic changes in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, in the adjacent uninjured territories of the central terminations of the adjacent uninjured nerves, might explain the mechanism of hyperalgesia after peripheral nerve injury.

Sex differences and hormonal modulation of deep tissue pain

Women disproportionately suffer from many deep tissue pain conditions. Experimental studies show that women have lower pain thresholds, higher pain ratings and less tolerance to a range of painful stimuli. Most clinical and epidemiological reports suggest female gonadal hormones modulate pain for some, but not all, conditions. Similarly, animal studies support greater nociceptive sensitivity in females in many deep tissue pain models. Gonadal hormones modulate responses in primary afferents, dorsal horn neurons and supraspinal sites, but the direction of modulation is variable. This review will examine sex differences in deep tissue pain in humans and animals focusing on the role of gonadal hormones (mainly estradiol) as an underlying component of the modulation of pain sensitivity.

Systemic morphine treatment induces changes in firing patterns and responses of nociceptive afferent fibers in mouse glabrous skin

Patients receiving opioids for pain may experience decreased effectiveness of the drug and even abnormal pain sensitivity-hyperalgesia and/or allodynia. We hypothesized that peripheral nociceptor hyperexcitability contributes to opioid-induced hyperalgesia and tested this using an in vitro mouse glabrous skin-nerve preparation. Mice were injected intraperitoneally with escalating doses of morphine (5, 8, 10, 15 mg/kg) or saline every 12 hours for 48 hours and killed approximately 12 hours after the last injection. Receptive fields of nociceptors were tested for mechanical, heat, and cold sensitivity. Activity was also measured during an initial 2-minute period and during 5-minute periods between stimuli. Aberrant activity was common in fibers from morphine-treated mice but rare in saline-treated mice. Resting background activity was elevated in C-fibers from morphine-treated mice. Both C- and Aδ-fibers had afterdischarge in response to mechanical, heat, and/or cold stimulation of the skin as well as spontaneous, unevoked activity. Compared to saline, morphine treatment increased the proportion of fibers displaying polymodal rather than mechanical-only responses. A significant increase in Aδ-mechanoreceptive fibers responding to cold accounted for most of this change. In agreement with this, morphine-treated mice showed increased sensitivity in the cold tail flick test. In morphine-treated mice, aberrant activity and hyperexcitability of nociceptors could contribute to increased pain sensitivity. Importantly, this activity is likely driving central sensitization, a phenomenon contributing to abnormal sensory processing and chronic pain. If similar changes occur in human patients, aberrant nociceptor activity is likely to be interpreted as pain and could contribute to opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Highlights in basic autonomic neuroscience: contribution of the urothelium to sensory mechanisms in the urinary bladder

Urothelial cells in the urinary bladder express neural properties including: (1) release of neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors, (2) expression of neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels, and (3) sensitivity to mechanical and chemical stimuli. These properties have focused attention on the possible contribution of the urothelium to the storage and emptying functions of the bladder. In addition chemicals released from urothelial cells can affect the excitability of adjacent afferent nerves and this interaction can be affected by pathological conditions. This raises the possibility that abnormal urothelial-afferent interactions may contribute to bladder dysfunctions and therefore be a target for drug therapy.

Neurochemical Characterization of the TRPV1-Positive Nociceptive Primary Afferents Innervating Skeletal Muscles in the Rats

OBJECTIVE

Transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily type 1 (TRPV1), a most specific marker of the nociceptive primary afferent, is expressed in peptidergic and non-pepetidergic primary afferents innervating skin and viscera. However, its expression in sensory fibers to skeletal muscle is not well known. In this study, we studied the neurochemical characteristics of TRPV1-positive primary afferents to skeletal muscles.

METHODS

Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with total 20 microl of 1% fast blue (FB) into the gastrocnemius and erector spinae muscle and animals were perfused 4 days after injection. FB-positive cells were traced in the L4-L5 (for gastrocnemius muscle) and L2-L4 (for erector spinae muscle) dorsal root ganglia. The neurochemical characteristics of the muscle afferents were studied with multiple immunofluorescence with TRPV1, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and P2X(3). To identify spinal neurons responding to noxious stimulus to the skeletal muscle, 10% acetic acids were injected into the gastrocnemius and erector spinae muscles and expression of phospho extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) in spinal cords were identified with immunohistochemical method.

RESULTS

TRPV1 was expressed in about 49% of muscle afferents traced from gastrocnemius and 40% of erector spinae. Sixty-five to 60% of TRPV1-positive muscles afferents also expressed CGRP. In contrast, expression of P2X(3) immnoreaction in TRPV1-positive muscle afferents were about 20%. TRPV1-positive primary afferents were contacted with spinal neurons expressing pERK after injection of acetic acid into the muscles.

CONCLUSION

It is consequently suggested that nociception from skeletal muscles are mediated by TRPV1-positive primary afferents and majority of them are also peptidergic.