Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tyler S. Nelson, Ghanshyam P. Sinha, Diogo F. S. Santos, Peter Jukkola, Pranav Prasoon, Michelle K. Winter, Ken E. McCarson, Bret N. Smith, Bradley K. Taylor
Summary: Peripheral nerve injury enhances the excitability of Y1-INs in the spinal cord dorsal horn, leading to the development of allodynia and affective pain. Inhibition of Y1-INs or administration of Y1 agonists can alleviate allodynic symptoms. Conditional deletion of Npy1r in dorsal horn neurons prevents the anti-hyperalgesic effects of intrathecal Y1 agonists. These findings suggest that Y1-INs in the spinal cord are a promising target for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Kirstie A. Cummings, Sabina Bayshtok, Tri N. Dong, Paul J. Kenny, Roger L. Clem
Summary: This study shows that fear conditioning activates a heterogeneous population of SST-INs in the medial prefrontal cortex, which play an important role in memory expression. In contrast, a different population of SST-INs activated by morphine exerts opposing control over fear and supports reward-like effects.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Zheng Ao, Hongwei Cai, Zhuhao Wu, Jonathan Krzesniak, Chunhui Tian, Yvonne Y. Lai, Ken Mackie, Feng Guo
Summary: The study introduces a human spinal organoid-on-a-chip device for modeling the biology and electrophysiology of human nociceptive neurons and dorsal horn interneurons. The device allows for testing nociceptive modulators and is cost-efficient, scalable, and easy to use. By integrating human sensory-spinal-cord organoids, the method shows promise for screening and validating novel therapeutics for human pain medicine discovery.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Xin Luo, Ouyang Chen, Zilong Wang, Sangsu Bang, Jasmine Ji, Sang Hoon Lee, Yul Huh, Kenta Furutani, Qianru He, Xueshu Tao, Mei-Chuan Ko, Andrey Bortsov, Christopher R. Donnelly, Yong Chen, Andrea Nackley, Temugin Berta, Ru-Rong Ji
Summary: The IL-23/IL-17A/TRPV1 axis regulates female-specific mechanical pain, with IL-23 inducing pain in females but impaired in mice lacking IL-23 or IL-23r. IL-23-induced pain is promoted by estrogen and suppressed by androgen.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eva Uchytilova, Diana Spicarova, Jiri Palecek
Summary: The study reveals that the thermal and mechanical hypersensitivity induced by co-administration of BK and OLDA via i.t. administration is mediated by the activation of spinal TRPV1 channels.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Deeptha Vasudevan, Yen-Chyi Liu, Joshua P. Barrios, Maya K. Wheeler, Adam D. Douglass, Richard Dorsky
Summary: Zebrafish are able to recover swimming behavior even after complete spinal cord transection, and the regenerated interneurons have the ability to integrate into existing locomotor circuitry.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Tadayuki Ishibashi, Daichi Sueto, Yu Yoshikawa, Keisuke Koga, Ken Yamaura, Makoto Tsuda
Summary: This study identified an inhibitory interneuron subset in the spinal dorsal horn that is depolarized by noradrenaline (NA) and showed that alpha(1B)-adrenoceptors (ARs) and AAV-NpyP(+) neurons are critical targets for spinal NA and necessary for the therapeutic effect of duloxetine on neuropathic pain.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer, Karolina Werynska, Jacinthe Gingras, Gonzalo E. Yevenes
Summary: Restoring proper synaptic inhibition in the spinal cord, particularly through targeting the alpha 3 subtype of glycine receptors, may help reduce deleterious side effects and increase tolerability in chronic pain states. This review provides an update on the physiological properties and functions of alpha 3 subtype GlyRs and related drug discovery programs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Faiz Ali Khan, Gowhar Ali, Khista Rahman, Yahya Khan, Muhammad Ayaz, Osama F. Mosa, Asif Nawaz, Syed Shams ul Hassan, Simona Bungau
Summary: The study examined the pharmacological potential of a derived flavanone, 2-hydroxyflavanone, as a remedy for pain treatment. The results showed that 2-hydroxyflavanone exhibited considerable analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-neuropathic effects, possibly mediated through opioidergic and GABAergic mechanisms.
Article
Immunology
Mario Heles, Petra Mrozkova, Dominika Sulcova, Pavel Adamek, Diana Spicarova, Jiri Palecek
Summary: The study revealed that elevated levels of CCL2 may severely weaken the opioid-induced inhibition of excitatory synaptic transmission through a microglia activation mechanism, while the delayed enhancement of neurotransmission after mu OR activation is dependent on TRPV1 receptor activation.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Kai Sun, Hao Zhang, Ting Zhang, Nan Sun, Jingru Hao, Zhiping Wang, Can Gao
Summary: Neuropathic pain is often accompanied by psychiatric comorbidities and lacks effective treatment. This study reveals that HDAC6 plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain through neuronal activation and neuroinflammatory responses. HDAC6 may be a promising target for treating neuropathic pain.
Article
Neurosciences
Xue-Qing Wu, Bei Tan, Yu Du, Lin Yang, Ting-Ting Hu, Yi-La Ding, Xiao-Yun Qiu, Aubin Moutal, Rajesh Khanna, Jie Yu, Zhong Chen
Summary: Phototherapy is a emerging non-pharmacological treatment that can be used for depression, circadian rhythm disruptions, neurodegeneration, and pain conditions. The mechanism of phototherapy-induced antinociception is not well understood. This study found that phototherapy regulates the ventral lateral geniculate body (vLGN) in the visual system to elicit antinociception. Specifically, green light activates glutamatergic neurons and produces antinociception, while red light activates GABAergic neurons and promotes nociception in the vLGN. These findings suggest that different colors of light can modulate pain through different neural subpopulations in the vLGN, providing potential therapeutic strategies for neuropathic pain.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Zhen-Rong Zhang, Yao Wu, Wen-Jing Wang, Fang-Yong Wang
Summary: The role of GABAergic cell transplantation in improving neuropathic pain is significant, showing statistically significant improvements in allodynia and hyperalgesia. Differentiated GABAergic cells and avoiding the use of antibiotics may have a better effect in improving neuropathic pain.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Donya Ziafatdoost Abed, Reyhaneh Sadeghian, Saeed Mohammadi, Muhammad Akram
Summary: The essential oil of Thymus persicus showed strong antinociceptive and anti-neuropathic effects in Swiss mice, involving various signaling pathways and receptors.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Ausborn, Natalia A. Shevtsova, Simon M. Danner
Summary: Neuronal circuits in the spinal cord play a crucial role in controlling locomotion, integrating supraspinal commands and afferent feedback signals. Computational modeling has complemented experimental studies by providing mechanistic rationales and testable predictions, leading to fundamental insights. With recent advances in molecular and genetic methods, manipulating specific elements of the spinal circuitry has become possible, allowing for investigations into mechanisms at the level of genetically defined neuronal populations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Grace J. Lee, Yea Jin Kim, Sang Wook Shim, Kihwan Lee, Seog Bae Oh
Summary: Feeding behaviors have a close relationship with chronic pain in adult rodents. A recent study found that refeeding after fasting can attenuate pain behavior under chronic inflammatory pain conditions. Neural activities in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcS) and anterior insular cortex (aIC) were increased in a CFA-induced chronic inflammatory pain condition, but decreased after refeeding. Refeeding also reduced the enhanced excitability of aIC(CaMKII)-NAcSD2R projecting neurons in this model.
Article
Neurosciences
Hiroki Toyoda, Jonghwa Won, Wheedong Kim, Hayun Kim, Oscar Davy, Mitsuru Saito, Doyun Kim, Takuma Tanaka, Youngnam Kang, Seog Bae Oh
Summary: Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus release noradrenaline via volume transmission to activate extrasynaptic G-protein coupled receptors in target cells, affecting the currents in MTN neurons. The different modes of LC activation lead to varying degrees of current inhibition in MTN neurons.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Seong-Ah Kim, Jun Ho Jang, Wheedong Kim, Pa Reum Lee, Yong Ho Kim, Hue Vang, Kihwan Lee, Seog Bae Oh
Summary: Research shows that overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) induce itch through TRPC3, representing a potential therapeutic target for chronic itch which includes TRPC3, MitoTEMPO, and Pyr10.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Geehoon Chung, Yeong-Chan Yun, Chae Young Kim, Sun Kwang Kim, Sang Jeong Kim
Summary: This study found that the levels of mGluR5 in the S1DZ were significantly upregulated in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Pharmacological deactivation of mGluR5 ameliorated the symptoms of neuropathic allodynia and reduced the behavioral response to cold stimuli. In addition, this treatment also relieved the tonic-aversive state of chronic neuropathic pain.
Article
Cell Biology
Seunghwan Choi, Dong Cheol Jang, Geehoon Chung, Sun Kwang Kim
Summary: This study found that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) can increase cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation and both long- and short-term stimulation have similar effects in ameliorating vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) symptoms.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ji Hwan Lee, Jong Hee Choi, Jaihwan Kim, Tai Wan Kim, Ji-Young Kim, Geehoon Chung, Ik-Hyun Cho, Dae Sik Jang, Sun Kwang Kim
Summary: This study investigated the causal relationship between spinal microglial activation and oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) and explored the analgesic effects of syringaresinol on OIPN symptoms. Results showed that oxaliplatin treatment activated microglia, leading to inflammatory responses and pain induction. Syringaresinol treatment significantly ameliorated pain and suppressed microglial inflammatory responses.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Seunghui Woo, Yoo Rim Kim, Myeong Seong Bak, Geehoon Chung, Sang Jeong Kim, Sun Kwang Kim
Summary: Research has found that the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) uses a multiplexed coding strategy to distinguish between itch and pain, and S1 neurons represent the interaction between itch and pain.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Janev Fehmi, Alexander Davies, Marilina Antonelou, Stephen Keddie, Sonja Pikkupeura, Luis Querol, Emilien Delmont, Andrea Cortese, Diego Franciotta, Staffan Persson, Jonathan Barratt, Ruth Pepper, Filipa Farinha, Anisur A. Rahman, Diana B. Canetti, Janet Gilbertson, Nigel Rendell, Aleksandar Radunovic, Thomas M. Minton, Geraint S. Fuller, Sinead R. Murphy, Aisling Carr, Mary Reilly, Filip E. Eftimov, Luuk Wieske, Charlotte Teunissen, Ian S. D. D. Roberts, Neil Ashman, Alan Salama, Simon Rinaldi
Summary: Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome, and an association between anti-contactin-1 (CNTN1)-mediated neuropathies and MGN has been suggested. This study investigated the association between CNTN1 antibodies and clinical features of patients with immune-mediated neuropathies and MGN. It was found that CNTN1 antibodies were present in patients with immune-mediated neuropathy and concurrent MGN, and CNTN1-containing immune complexes were found in the renal glomeruli of these patients, suggesting CNTN1 as a common target for autoantibody-mediated pathology in MGN.
Editorial Material
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Dong Cheol Jang, Changhyeon Ryu, Geehoon Chung, Sun Kwang Kim, Sang Jeong Kim
Summary: Ca2+ transients can be observed in the distal dendrites of Purkinje cells (PCs) through specific firing patterns. The interspike interval threshold (ISIT) for Ca2+ transients in the distal dendrites of PC has been proposed. Activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) relieved the ISIT and allowed Ca2+ transients to occur with lower frequencies of spike firing, while blocking T-type Ca2+ channels or depleting the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ store increased the required frequency for Ca2+ transients. This strict ISIT in PCs may help reduce noise and improve information collection.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yea Jin Kim, Grace J. Lee, Sang Wook Shim, Doyun Kim, Seog Bae Oh
Summary: Analyzing the Fos expression in the brain, we found that subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (SDV) can induce analgesic effect in acute inflammatory pain by decreasing the activity of glutamatergic neurons in the anterior insular cortex (aIC). This finding suggests that targeting glutamatergic neurons in the aIC could be an important therapeutic approach for inflammatory pain.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Hyoung Woo Kim, Sang Wook Shim, Anna Mae Zhao, Dahee Roh, Hye Min Han, Steven J. Middleton, Wheedong Kim, Sena Chung, Errin Johnson, John Prentice, Mike Tacon, Marleen J. A. Koel-Simmelink, Luuk Wieske, Charlotte E. Teunissen, Yong Chul Bae, David L. H. Bennett, Simon Rinaldi, Alexander J. Davies, Seog Bae Oh
Summary: This study investigates the neuropathology and sensory symptoms of a focal nerve crush injury. The results show that partial crush injury leads to the early return of pinprick sensitivity and persistent thermal and tactile hypersensitivity, which is not observed after a complete crush injury. Furthermore, the neuropathic pain caused by partial crush injury has distinct pathophysiology from that caused by complete nerve injury.
Article
Neurosciences
Hyoung Woo Kim, Shuaiwei Wang, Alexander J. Davies, Seog Bae Oh
Summary: Novel disease-modifying treatments for neuropathic pain are urgently needed. The role of natural killer (NK) cells in both central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) diseases is of growing interest. This opinion article explores the potential targets of NK cells in the PNS and suggests strategies for utilizing the beneficial functions of NK cells and immune-based therapeutics in the management of neuropathic pain.
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Pa Reum Lee, Jihoon Kim, Heather Lynn Rossi, Sena Chung, Seung Yub Han, Junhyong Kim, Seog Bae Oh
Summary: This study utilizes high-depth single-cell RNA sequencing technology with retrograde tracing to identify the molecular features and functional differences of dental primary afferent (DPA) neurons and proprioceptive mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN) neurons.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Heera Yoon, Myeong Seong Bak, Seung Ha Kim, Ji Hwan Lee, Geehoon Chung, Sang Jeong Kim, Sun Kwang Kim
Summary: Researchers have developed a deep learning algorithm that can detect spontaneous pain information and evaluate the effectiveness of analgesics based on brain cellular activity. The algorithm performs well in chronic pain models and can be applied to various cell types, brain areas, and forms of somatosensory input.
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)