• Junichi Hachisuka, H Richard Koerber, and Sarah E Ross.
• Department of Neurobiology and the Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States. Dr. Hachisuka is now with the Spinal Cord Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
• Pain. 2020 Jan 1; 161 (1): 185194185-194.

AbstractSpinal projection neurons are a major pathway through which somatic stimuli are conveyed to the brain. However, the manner in which this information is coded is poorly understood. Here, we report the identification of a modality-selective spinoparabrachial (SPB) neuron subtype with unique properties. Specifically, we find that cold-selective SPB neurons are differentiated by selective afferent input, reduced sensitivity to substance P, distinct physiological properties, small soma size, and low basal drive. In addition, optogenetic experiments reveal that cold-selective SPB neurons do not receive input from Nos1 inhibitory interneurons and, compared with other SPB neurons, show significantly smaller inhibitory postsynaptic currents upon activation of Pdyn inhibitory interneurons. Together, these data suggest that cold output from the spinal cord to the parabrachial nucleus is mediated by a specific cell type with distinct properties.

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