Mol Pain
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The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade has been shown to be a key modulator of pain processing in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in mice. ERK is activated in the CeA during persistent inflammatory pain and this activation is both necessary and sufficient to induce peripheral tactile hypersensitivity. Interestingly, biochemical studies show that inflammation-induced ERK activation in the CeA only occurs in the right, but not the left hemisphere. ⋯ We acutely blocked ERK activation in the CeA by infusing the MEK inhibitor U0126 into the right or the left hemisphere and then measured the behavioral effects on inflammation-induced mechanical hypersensitivity in mice. Our results show that blockade of ERK activation in the right, but not the left CeA, decreases inflammation-induced peripheral hypersensitivity independent of the side of peripheral injury. These findings demonstrate that modulation of pain by ERK signaling in the CeA is functionally lateralized to the right hemisphere, suggesting a dominant role of the right amygdala in pain processing.
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Inflammation, trauma or nerve injury trigger low-level activity in C-fibres and may cause long-lasting hyperalgesia. Long-term potentiation (LTP) at synapses of primary afferent C-fibres is considered to underlie some forms of hyperalgesia. In previous studies, high- but not low-frequency conditioning stimulation of C-fibres has, however, been used to induce LTP in pain pathways. ⋯ We found that the signal transduction pathways causing LFS-induced LTP in vivo include activation of neurokinin 1 and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, rise of [Ca2+]i from intracellular stores and via T-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, activation of phospholipase C, protein kinase C and Ca2+-calmodulin dependent kinase II. These pathways match those leading to hyperalgesia in behaving animals and humans. We thus propose that LTP induced by low-level activity in C-fibres may underlie some forms of hyperalgesia.
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Understanding differences in the genetic architecture of complex traits between the two sexes has significant implications for evolutionary studies and clinical diagnosis. However, our knowledge about sex-specific genetic architecture is limited largely because of a lack of analytical models that can detect and quantify the effects of sex on the complexity of quantitative genetic variation. ⋯ The model, validated by simulation studies, was used to detect sex-specific functional haplotypes that encode a pain sensitivity trait in humans. The model could have important implications for mapping complex trait genes and studying the detailed genetic architecture of sex-specific differences.
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Glutamate receptors of the AMPA type (AMPArs) mediate fast excitatory transmission in the dorsal horn and are thought to underlie perception of both acute and chronic pain. They are tetrameric structures made up from 4 subunits (GluR1-4), and subunit composition determines properties of the receptor. Antigen retrieval with pepsin can be used to reveal the receptors with immunocytochemistry, and in this study we have investigated the subunit composition at synapses within laminae I-III of the dorsal horn. In addition, we have compared staining of AMPArs with that for PSD-95, a major constituent of glutamatergic synapses. We also examined tissue from knock-out mice to confirm the validity of the immunostaining. ⋯ Our results suggest that virtually all glutamatergic synapses in laminae I-III of adult rat spinal cord contain AMPArs. They show that synapses in laminae I-II contain GluR2 together with GluR1 and/or GluR3, while the long form of GluR4 is restricted to specific neuronal populations, which may include some lamina I projection cells. They also provide further evidence that immunostaining for AMPAr subunits following antigen retrieval is a reliable method for detecting these receptors at glutamatergic synapses.
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Primary erythromelalgia is an autosomal dominant pain disorder characterized by burning pain and skin redness in the extremities, with onset of symptoms during the first decade in the families whose mutations have been physiologically studied to date. Several mutations of voltage-gated Na+ channel NaV1.7 have been linked with primary erythromelalgia. Recently, a new substitution Na(v)1.7/I136V has been reported in a Taiwanese family, in which pain appeared at later ages (9-22 years, with onset at 17 years of age or later in 5 of 7 family members), with relatively slow progression (8-10 years) to involvement of the hands. The proband reported onset of symptoms first in his feet at the age of 11, which then progressed to his hands at the age of 19. The new mutation is located in transmembrane segment 1 (S1) of domain I (DI) in contrast to all Na(v)1.7 mutations reported to date, which have been localized in the voltage sensor S4, the linker joining segments S4 and S5 or pore-lining segments S5 and S6 in DI, II and III. ⋯ The I136V substitution in Na(v)1.7 alters channel gating and kinetic properties. Each of these changes may contribute to increased excitability of nociceptive dorsal root ganglion neurons, which underlies pain in erythromelalgia. The smaller shift in voltage-dependence of activation of Na(v)1.7, compared to the other reported cases of inherited erythromelalgia, may contribute to the later age of onset and slower progression of the symptoms reported in association with this mutation.