Brain research
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Chronic stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic visceral pain conditions, such as interstitial cystitis (IC), and bouts of acute stress exacerbate clinical urological pain. Studies using animal models have shown that exposure to chronic footshock stress augments reflex responses to urinary bladder distension (UBD) in animal models, however acute effects in animal models are largely unknown, as are the central nervous system mechanisms of stress-related increases in nociception. The amygdala is a salient structure for integration of sensory and cognitive/emotional factors. ⋯ Of note is that CeA lesions, but not chemical stimulation, significantly affected HPA axis activation, as indicated by measurements of circulating corticosterone. Our findings conclusively show that the CeA is necessary for the generation of bladder hyperalgesia in response to acute stress. The CeA may play multiple stress-related roles in nociceptive modulation, i.e., via direct facilitation of the HPA axis during acute stress, or via modulation of other systems that augment acute stress responsiveness.
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In this study, the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the kindling induced changes in electrophysiological firing properties of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons was investigated. Male Wistar rats were kindled by daily electrical stimulation of the basolateral amygdala in a semi-rapid manner (12 stimulations/day) until they achieved stage-5 seizure. One group (kindled+rTMS (KrTMS)) of animals received rTMS (240 pulses at 1 Hz) at 5 min after termination of daily kindling stimulations. ⋯ It also caused an increase in the voltage sag, number of rebound spikes and number of evoked action potential. Results of the present study revealed that application of rTMS following kindling stimulations had antiepileptogenic effects. In addition, application of rTMS prevented hyperexcitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons induced by kindling and conserved the normal neuronal firing.