Cameron, D., Gutierrez-Mecinas, M. , Gomez-Lima, M., Watanabe, M., Polgár, E. and Todd, A. J. (2015) The organisation of spinoparabrachial neurons in the mouse. Pain, 156(10), pp. 2061-2071. (doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000270) (PMID:26101837) (PMCID:PMC4770364)
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Abstract
The anterolateral tract (ALT), which originates from neurons in lamina I and the deep dorsal horn, represents a major ascending output through which nociceptive information is transmitted to brain areas involved in pain perception. Although there is detailed quantitative information concerning the ALT in the rat, much less is known about this system in the mouse, which is increasingly being used for studies of spinal pain mechanisms because of the availability of genetically modified lines. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the extent to which information about the ALT in the rat can be extrapolated to the mouse. Our results suggest that as in the rat, most lamina I ALT projection neurons in the lumbar enlargement can be retrogradely labelled from the lateral parabrachial area, that the great majority of these cells (~90%) express the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1r), and that these are larger than other NK1r-expressing neurons in this lamina. This means that many lamina I spinoparabrachial cells can be identified in NK1r-immunostained sections from animals that have not received retrograde tracer injections. However, we also observed certain species differences, in particular we found that many spinoparabrachial cells in lamina III-IV lack the NK1r, meaning that they cannot be identified based solely on expression of this receptor. We also provide evidence that the vast majority of spinoparabrachial cells are glutamatergic, and that some express substance P. These findings will be important for studies designed to unravel the complex neuronal circuitry that underlies spinal pain processing.
Item Type: | Articles |
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Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Beresford-Polgar, Dr Erika and Todd, Professor Andrew and Gutierrez-Mecinas, Dr Maria |
Authors: | Cameron, D., Gutierrez-Mecinas, M., Gomez-Lima, M., Watanabe, M., Polgár, E., and Todd, A. J. |
College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience |
Journal Name: | Pain |
Publisher: | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins |
ISSN: | 0304-3959 |
ISSN (Online): | 1872-6623 |
Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2015 International Association for the Study of Pain |
First Published: | First published in Pain 2015 |
Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
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