• Mark A Gradwell, Kieran A Boyle, Tyler J Browne, Andrew M Bell, Jacklyn Leonardo, Fernanda S Peralta Reyes, Allen C Dickie, Kelly M Smith, Robert J Callister, Christopher V Dayas, David I Hughes, and Brett A Graham.
• Faculty of Health, School of Biomedical Sciences & Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
• Pain. 2022 Mar 1; 163 (3): e432e452e432-e452.

AbstractParvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PVINs) in the spinal dorsal horn are found primarily in laminae II inner and III. Inhibitory PVINs play an important role in segregating innocuous tactile input from pain-processing circuits through presynaptic inhibition of myelinated low-threshold mechanoreceptors and postsynaptic inhibition of distinct spinal circuits. By comparison, relatively little is known of the role of excitatory PVINs (ePVINs) in sensory processing. Here, we use neuroanatomical and optogenetic approaches to show that ePVINs comprise a larger proportion of the PVIN population than previously reported and that both ePVIN and inhibitory PVIN populations form synaptic connections among (and between) themselves. We find that these cells contribute to neuronal networks that influence activity within several functionally distinct circuits and that aberrant activity of ePVINs under pathological conditions is well placed to contribute to the development of mechanical hypersensitivity.Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

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