Article
Neurosciences
Fernando A. Tinoco Mendoza, Timothy E. S. Hughes, Rebecca Robertson, Lewis S. Crawford, Noemi Meylakh, Paul M. Macey, Vaughan G. Macefield, Kevin A. Keay, Luke A. Henderson
Summary: The PAG is a critical region for pain-related responses and shows a crude somatotopy for contextually appropriate behavioral responses. Different regions in the PAG are activated by cutaneous and muscle pain. Using ultra-high field functional magnetic resonance imaging, it was found that the PAG exhibits different signal intensity changes in response to noxious stimuli. This suggests a preserved somatotopic organization in the PAG between animals and humans.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Peter Kiss, Eszter Banki, Balazs Gaszner, Daniel Nagy, Zsuzsanna Helyes, Endre Pal, Gyongyver Reman, Gabor Toth, Andrea Tamas, Dora Reglodi
Summary: Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) shows promising therapeutic effects in a rat model of streptozotocin-induced diabetic neuropathy. PACAP treatment can alleviate mechanical hyperalgesia, reduce morphological signs of neuropathy, and attenuate neuronal activation in pain processing centers.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Elena Makovac, Alessandra Venezia, David Hohenschurz-Schmidt, Ottavia Dipasquale, Jade B. Jackson, Sonia Medina, Owen O'Daly, Steve C. R. Williams, Stephen B. McMahon, Matthew A. Howard
Summary: This study investigates the interaction between the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and descending pain control mechanisms, revealing the role of the periaqueductal grey (PAG) in mediating this relationship. The results show a negative correlation between heart rate variability (HRV) and descending pain modulation, with PAG-vmPFC functional connectivity mediating this association. This multi-modal approach provides new evidence of body-brain interactions in pain modulation.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jennaya Christensen, Naomi MacPherson, Crystal Li, Glenn R. R. Yamakawa, Richelle Mychasiuk
Summary: Repeat mild traumatic brain injuries (RmTBI) have a significant impact on public health due to their association with chronic post-injury pathologies. The dysfunction of descending pain modulation (DPM) may play a role in these pathologies. One possible mechanism driving these changes is altered orexinergic system functioning.
JOURNAL OF HEADACHE AND PAIN
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Natasha J. Anstey, Vijayakumar Kapgal, Shashank Tiwari, Thomas C. Watson, Anna K. H. Toft, Owen R. Dando, Felicity H. Inkpen, Paul S. Baxter, Zrinko Kozic, Adam D. Jackson, Xin He, Mohammad Sarfaraz Nawaz, Aiman Kayenaat, Aditi Bhattacharya, David J. A. Wyllie, Sumantra Chattarji, Emma R. Wood, Oliver Hardt, Peter C. Kind
Summary: This study investigates fear response behavior and its cellular basis in Nlgn3(-/y) rats. The results show that these rats are more likely to exhibit flight response instead of freezing response when threatened, and their neurons in the periaqueductal grey (PAG) show increased excitability compared to wildtype rats. The study also reveals a novel link between PAG dysfunction and ASD/ID.
Article
Neurosciences
Timothy J. Meeker, Anne-Christine Schmid, Michael L. Keaser, Shariq A. Khan, Rao P. Gullapalli, Susan G. Dorsey, Joel D. Greenspan, David A. Seminowicz
Summary: This study evaluated the effect of tonic pain on functional connectivity within the Descending Pain Modulatory Network (DPMN). The results showed that tonic pain altered certain connectivity patterns within the DPMN and these patterns were correlated with subsequently experienced pain intensity.
Article
Physiology
M. Gonzalez-Garcia, L. Carrillo-Franco, C. A. Peinado-Aragones, A. Diaz-Casares, B. Gago, M. Lopez-Gonzalez, M. S. Dawid-Milner
Summary: Stimulation of the dlPAG in rats evokes an active defensive behavior and a cardiorespiratory response characterized by tachypnea, tachycardia, and hypertension. The dlPAG neurons involved in these responses are glutamatergic, and the A5 region has a neuromodulatory role in mediating this interaction through glutamate neurotransmission.
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Xiaoyue Zhu, Yaoguo Dang, Song Ding, Junjie Wang, Yu Fen, Yao Li
Summary: This paper proposes an enhanced seasonal and self-adaptive multivariate grey convolution model to accurately predict the impact of air pollutants on respiratory mortality. The model successfully addresses the challenges posed by seasonal factors and improves the accuracy of predictions. The practical applicability and higher forecasting performance of the model are further validated in estimating respiratory mortality attributable to air pollutants in China.
EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Swen Huelsmann, Liya Hagos, Volker Eulenburg, Johannes Hirrlinger
Summary: The role of inhibitory neurons in the respiratory network remains controversial, with recent studies indicating that their activation in vivo can significantly impact respiratory rate by potentially inhibiting excitatory rhythmogenic neurons within the preBotzinger complex. This suggests that inhibitory neurons may play a crucial role in mediating phase-switching in the respiratory rhythm.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emmy Tsang, Camilla Orlandini, Rahul Sureka, Alvaro H. Crevenna, Emerald Perlas, Izzie Prankerd, Maria E. Masferrer, Cornelius T. Gross
Summary: In this study, the researchers classified neuron types in the dorsal periaqueductal gray using multiplex in situ sequencing and used cell-type and projection-specific optogenetic stimulation to identify projections from the dorsal periaqueductal gray to the cuneiform nucleus that promote goal-directed flight behavior.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Botao Lu, Penghui Fan, Yiding Wang, Yuchuan Dai, Jingyu Xie, Gucheng Yang, Fan Mo, Zhaojie Xu, Yilin Song, Juntao Liu, Xinxia Cai
Summary: Defense is the basic survival mechanism of animals when facing dangers. This study found that the neuronal activities of dPAG play a crucial role in controlling different types of predator odor-evoked innate fear/defensive behaviors, with stronger activation during the flight stage. The results provide guidance for predicting defense behavior.
Article
Neurosciences
Li-Feng Yeh, Takaaki Ozawa, Joshua P. Johansen
Summary: The dorsolateral subregion of the PAG (dlPAG) plays a key role in memory formation in response to aversive events, while the ventrolateral PAG (vlPAG) does not have the same effect. In addition, specific populations of thalamus-projecting dlPAG neurons projecting to the anterior paraventricular thalamus (aPVT) can affect aversive learning, but do not impact previously learned defensive behaviors.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Myeong Seong Bak, Haney Park, Sun Kwang Kim
Summary: Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain caused by damage to the somatosensory nervous system, and it is essential to fully understand the pathological mechanisms in order to develop efficient therapeutic methods. Neural plasticity in the brain plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain, and recent technological advances allow for more precise understanding and modulation of brain activity to reverse pain states.
Article
Neurosciences
Olga A. Lyubashina, Ivan B. Sivachenko, Aleksandr A. Mikhalkin
Summary: The study reveals that colonic inflammation alters the functioning of the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG), leading to impaired control of visceral nociception. This dysfunction in ascending and descending pathways may contribute to visceral hyperalgesia associated with gut injury.
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Biology
Robert A. R. Drake, Kenneth A. Steel, Richard Apps, Bridget M. Lumb, Anthony E. Pickering
Summary: The loss of cortical control over the descending pain modulatory system after nerve injury contributes to the expression of neuropathic sensitisation.