Brain research bulletin
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Brain research bulletin · Aug 2008
Descending modulation of visceral nociceptive transmission from the locus coeruleus/subcoeruleus in the rat.
The purpose of the present investigation was to examine whether electrical stimulation in the locus coeruleus/subcoeruleus (LC/SC) could modulate visceral pain evoked by noxious colorectal distention (CRD). Experiments were performed on 40 pentobarbital anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. Extracellular potentials of single L(6)-S(2) spinal neuron were recorded with a carbon filament electrode. ⋯ The effects of LC/SC stimulation were the same both ipsilaterally and contralaterally either for the evoked discharges or for spontaneous activities. Following LC/SC lesions, LC/SC stimulation did not inhibit nociceptive responses, whereas inhibitory effects were observed by stimulation of the intact LC/SC contralateral to the recording site. These data suggest that the transmission of visceral pain was under the control of the centrifugal pathways from the LC/SC.