Specific nociceptive fibers projecting from spinal cord neurons to the brain: a possible pathway for pain

1973 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 447-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Pomeranz
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludivine Pidoux ◽  
Kevin Delanoe ◽  
Eric Lingueglia ◽  
Emmanuel Deval

ABSTRACTLysophosphatidyl-choline (LPC), a member of the phospholipid family, has recently emerged as an interesting new player in pain. It has been proposed to mediate pain through Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 3 (ASIC3), a pain-related channel mainly expressed in peripheral sensory neurons. LPC potentiates ASIC3 current evoked by mild acidifications, but can also activate the channel at physiological pH, and its local injection in rodents evokes ASIC3-dependent pain. We combine here in vivo recordings of spinal cord neuron activity with subcutaneous LPC injection to analyze the mechanism of action associated with the LPC-induced, ASIC3-dependent pain in peripheral and spinal cord neurons. We show that a single cutaneous injection of LPC exclusively affects the nociceptive pathway. It evokes an ASIC3-dependent short-term sensitization of nociceptive fibers that drives hyperexcitability of projecting neurons within the dorsal spinal cord without apparent central sensitization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Labunets ◽  
A. Rodnichenko ◽  
N. Melnyk ◽  
N. Utko

The search for tools that increase the effectiveness of cell therapy of demyelinating pathology is relevant. They may be preparations that affect the pathogenetic factors of this pathology, in particular, the pineal hormone melatonin.The purpose of the work is to evaluate the involvement of immune system and antioxidant defense in the implementation of the protective effects of melatonin on morpho-functional disorders in the central nervous system induced by neurotoxin cuprizone.Materials and methods. The toxic demyelination model was induced on 129/Sv mice at the age of 3-5 months by adding cuprizone to food for 3 weeks. Since the 7th day of cuprizone administration, melatonin was injected intraperitoneally at 18:00 daily, at a dose of 1 mg/kg. In the brain of mice, the proportion of CD3+, Nestin+ cells and phagocytic macrophages, the content of malondialdehyde and the activity of antioxidant enzymes was determined. Blood serum was tested for thymic hormone thymulin levels. In the animals, we evaluated the structure of the brain and spinal cord neurons by Nissl staining of histological sections as well as analyzed behavioural reactions in the "open field" test.Results. In the brain of the mice received cuprizone, the proportion of CD3+ and Nestin+ cells, active macrophages and malondialdehyde content increases, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase levels decreases. In the brain and spinal cord of the mice with a cuprizone diet, the proportion of altered neurons increases, and motor and emotional activity decreases. The introduction of melatonin results in a decrease in the relative number of CD3+ cells, active macrophages and malondialdehyde content, increased activity of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and level of thymulin. In such mice, the proportion of unchanged neurons increases as the number of Nestin+ cells decreases and behavioural responses are also improved.Conclusions. The neuroprotective effect of melatonin in demyelinating pathology is realized through the factors of the immune system and oxidative stress. The results may be useful in the development of new biotechnological approaches to the treatment of demyelinating pathology, in particular, multiple sclerosis.


Horseradish peroxidase has been used to stain spinal cord neurons in late embryos of the clawed toad (Xenopus laevis) .It has shown clearly the soma, dendrites and axonal projections of spinal sensory, motor and interneurons. On the basis of light microscopy we describe nine differentiated spinal cord neuron classes. These include the RohonBeard cells and extramedullary cells which are both primary sensory neurons, one class of motoneurons that innervate the segmental myotomes, two classes of interneurons with decussating axons, three classes of interneurons with ipsilateral axons and a previously undescribed class of ciliated ependymal cells with axons projecting ipsilaterally to the brain. We believe that all differentiated neuron classes are described and that this anatomical account is the most complete for any vertebrate spinal cord.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-13
Author(s):  
James B. Talmage ◽  
Jay Blaisdell

Abstract Injuries that affect the central nervous system (CNS) can be catastrophic because they involve the brain or spinal cord, and determining the underlying clinical cause of impairment is essential in using the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), in part because the AMA Guides addresses neurological impairment in several chapters. Unlike the musculoskeletal chapters, Chapter 13, The Central and Peripheral Nervous System, does not use grades, grade modifiers, and a net adjustment formula; rather the chapter uses an approach that is similar to that in prior editions of the AMA Guides. The following steps can be used to perform a CNS rating: 1) evaluate all four major categories of cerebral impairment, and choose the one that is most severe; 2) rate the single most severe cerebral impairment of the four major categories; 3) rate all other impairments that are due to neurogenic problems; and 4) combine the rating of the single most severe category of cerebral impairment with the ratings of all other impairments. Because some neurological dysfunctions are rated elsewhere in the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, the evaluator may consult Table 13-1 to verify the appropriate chapter to use.


2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 2420-2426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl V. Clemons ◽  
Raymond A. Sobel ◽  
Paul L. Williams ◽  
Demosthenes Pappagianis ◽  
David A. Stevens

ABSTRACT The efficacy of intravenously administered liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome [AmBi]) for the treatment of experimental coccidioidal meningitis was compared with those of oral fluconazole (FLC) and intravenously administered conventional amphotericin B (AMB). Male New Zealand White rabbits were infected by intracisternal inoculation of arthroconidia of Coccidioides immitis. Starting 5 days postinfection, animals received one of the following: 5% dextrose water diluent; AMB given at 1 mg/kg of body weight; AmBi given at 7.5, 15, or 22.5 mg/kg intravenously three times per week for 3 weeks; or oral FLC given at 80 mg/kg for 19 days. One week after the cessation of therapy, all survivors were euthanatized, the numbers of CFU remaining in the spinal cord and brain were determined, and histological analyses were performed. All AmBi-, FLC-, or AMB-treated animals survived and had prolonged lengths of survival compared with those for the controls (P < 0.0001). Treated groups had significantly lower numbers of white blood cells and significantly lower protein concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid compared with those for the controls (P < 0.01 to 0.0005) and had fewer clinical signs of infection (e.g., weight loss, elevated temperature, and neurological abnormalities including motor abnormalities). The mean histological scores for AmBi-treated rabbits were lower than those for FLC-treated and control rabbits (P < 0.016 and 0.0005, respectively); the scores for AMB-treated animals were lower than those for the controls (P < 0.0005) but were similar to those for FLC-treated rabbits. All regimens reduced the numbers of CFU in the brain and spinal cord compared with those for the controls (P ≤0.0005). AmBi-treated animals had 3- to 11-fold lower numbers of CFU than FLC-treated rabbits and 6- to 35-fold lower numbers of CFU than AmB-treated rabbits. Three of eight animals given 15 mg of AmBi per kg had no detectable infection in either tissue, whereas other doses of AmBi or FLC cleared either the brain or the spinal cord of infection in fewer rabbits. In addition, clearance of the infection from both tissues was achieved in none of the rabbits, and neither tissue was cleared of infection in AMB-treated animals. Overall, these data indicate that intravenously administered AmBi is superior to oral FLC or intravenous AMB and that FLC is better than AMB against experimental coccidioidal meningitis. These data indicate that AmBi may offer an improvement in the treatment of coccidioidal meningitis. Additional studies are warranted.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
Ganchimeg Davaa ◽  
Jin Young Hong ◽  
Tae Uk Kim ◽  
Seong Jae Lee ◽  
Seo Young Kim ◽  
...  

Exercise training is a traditional method to maximize remaining function in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), but the exact mechanism by which exercise promotes recovery after SCI has not been identified; whether exercise truly has a beneficial effect on SCI also remains unclear. Previously, we showed that epigenetic changes in the brain motor cortex occur after SCI and that a treatment leading to epigenetic modulation effectively promotes functional recovery after SCI. We aimed to determine how exercise induces functional improvement in rats subjected to SCI and whether epigenetic changes are engaged in the effects of exercise. A spinal cord contusion model was established in rats, which were then subjected to treadmill exercise for 12 weeks. We found that the size of the lesion cavity and the number of macrophages were decreased more in the exercise group than in the control group after 12 weeks of injury. Immunofluorescence and DNA dot blot analysis revealed that levels of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in the brain motor cortex were increased after exercise. Accordingly, the expression of ten-eleven translocation (Tet) family members (Tet1, Tet2, and Tet3) in the brain motor cortex also elevated. However, no macrophage polarization was induced by exercise. Locomotor function, including Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) and ladder scores, also improved in the exercise group compared to the control group. We concluded that treadmill exercise facilitates functional recovery in rats with SCI, and mechanistically epigenetic changes in the brain motor cortex may contribute to exercise-induced improvements.


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