LectinUlex europaeus agglutinin I specifically labels a subset of primary afferent fibers which project selectively to the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord

1986 ◽  
Vol 365 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kensaku Mori
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Superficial Dorsal Horn ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Primary Afferent Fibers

ATP P2× Receptors and Sensory Synaptic Transmission Between Primary Afferent Fibers and Spinal Dorsal Horn Neurons in Rats

1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 3356-3360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Li ◽  
Amelita A. Calejesan ◽  
Min Zhuo
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Lumbar Spinal Cord ◽  
Superficial Dorsal Horn ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Dorsal Horn Neurons ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Primary Afferent Fibers ◽  
Lumbar Spinal

Li, Ping, Amelita A. Calean, and Min Zhuo. ATP P2× receptors and sensory synaptic transmission between primary afferent fibers and spinal dorsal horn neurons in rats. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 3356–3360, 1998. Glutamate is a major fast transmitter between primary afferent fibers and dorsal horn neurons in the spinal cord. Recent evidence indicates that ATP acts as another fast transmitter at the rat cervical spinal cord and is proposed to serve as a transmitter for nociception and pain. Sensory synaptic transmission between dorsal root afferent fibers and neurons in the superficial dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord were examined by whole cell patch-clamp recording techniques. Experiments were designed to test if ATP could serve as a transmitter at the lumbar spinal cord. Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were completely abolished after the blockade of both glutamatergic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid/kainate and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. No residual current was detected, indicating that glutamate but not ATP is a fast transmitter at the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord. Pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulfonic acid (PPADS), a selective P2× receptor antagonist, produced an inhibitory modulatory effect on fast EPSCs and altered responses to paired-pulse stimulation, suggesting the involvement of a presynaptic mechanism. Intrathecal administration of PPADS did not produce any antinociceptive effect in two different types of behavioral nociceptive tests. The present results suggest that ATP P2×2 receptors modulate excitatory synaptic transmission in the superficial dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord by a presynaptic mechanism, and such a mechanism does not play an important role in behavioral responses to noxious heating. The involvement of other P2× subtype receptors, which is are less sensitive to PPADS, in acute nociceptive modulation and persistent pain remains to be investigated.

Ultrastructural Analysis of Ectopic Synaptic Boutons Arising From Peripherally Regenerated Primary Afferent Fibers

1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 1636-1644 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Richard Koerber ◽  
Karoly Mirnics ◽  
Anahid M. Kavookjian ◽  
Alan R. Light
Keyword(s):  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Ultrastructural Analysis ◽  
Peripheral Stimulus ◽  
Primary Sensory Neurons ◽  
Superficial Dorsal Horn ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Primary Afferent Fibers ◽  
Synaptic Boutons

Ultrastructural analysis of ectopic synaptic boutons arising from peripherally regenerated primary afferent fibers. The central axons of peripherally regenerated Aβ primary sensory neurons were impaled in the dorsal columns of α-chloralose-anesthetized cats 9–12 mo after axotomy. The adequate peripheral stimulus was determined, and the afferent fibers intracellularly stimulated while simultaneously recording the resulting cord dorsum potentials (CDPs). Fibers that successfully had reinnervated the skin responded to light tactile stimulation, and evoked CDPs that suggested dorsally located boutons were stained intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Two HRP-stained regenerated Aβ afferent fibers were recovered that supported large numbers of axon collaterals and swellings in laminae I, IIo, and IIi. Sections containing the ectopic collateral fibers and terminals in the superficial dorsal horn were embedded in plastic. Analyses of serial ultrathin sections revealed that ectopic projections from both regenerated fibers supported numerous synaptic boutons filled with clear round vesicles, a few large dense core vesicles (LDCVs) and several mitochondria (>3). All profiles examined in serial sections (19) formed one to three asymmetric axo-dendritic contacts. Unmyelinated portions of ectopic fibers giving rise to en passant and terminal boutons often contained numerous clear round vesicles. Several boutons (47%) received asymmetric contacts from axon terminals containing pleomorphic vesicles. These results strongly suggest that regenerated Aβ fibers activated by light tactile stimuli support functional connections in the superficial dorsal horn that have distinct ultrastructural features. In addition, the appearance of LDCVs suggests that primary sensory neurons are capable of changing their neurochemical phenotype.

scholarly journals Presynaptic Inhibition of Pain and Touch in the Spinal Cord: From Receptors to Circuits

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 414
Author(s):  
Antonella Comitato ◽  
Rita Bardoni
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Dorsal Horn Neurons ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Peptide Release ◽  
Spinal Cord Dorsal ◽  
Primary Afferent Fibers

Sensory primary afferent fibers, conveying touch, pain, itch, and proprioception, synapse onto spinal cord dorsal horn neurons. Primary afferent central terminals express a wide variety of receptors that modulate glutamate and peptide release. Regulation of the amount and timing of neurotransmitter release critically affects the integration of postsynaptic responses and the coding of sensory information. The role of GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) receptors expressed on afferent central terminals is particularly important in sensory processing, both in physiological conditions and in sensitized states induced by chronic pain. During the last decade, techniques of opto- and chemogenetic stimulation and neuronal selective labeling have provided interesting insights on this topic. This review focused on the recent advances about the modulatory effects of presynaptic GABAergic receptors in spinal cord dorsal horn and the neural circuits involved in these mechanisms.

Primary Afferent Fibers That Contribute to Increased Substance P Receptor Internalization in the Spinal Cord After Injury

1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 1379-1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Allen ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Patrick M. Menning ◽  
Scott D. Rogers ◽  
Joseph Ghilardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Nerve Transection ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Lamina I ◽  
C Fibers ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Primary Afferent Fibers ◽  
Stimulation Of

Primary afferent fibers that contribute to increased substance P receptor internalization in the spinal cord after injury. Upon noxious stimulation, substance P (SP) is released from primary afferent fibers into the spinal cord where it interacts with the SP receptor (SPR). The SPR is located throughout the dorsal horn and undergoes endocytosis after agonist binding, which provides a spatial image of SPR-containing neurons that undergo agonist interaction. Under normal conditions, SPR internalization occurs only in SPR+ cell bodies and dendrites in the superficial dorsal horn after noxious stimulation. After nerve transection and inflammation, SPR immunoreactivity increases, and both noxious as well as nonnoxious stimulation produces SPR internalization in the superficial and deep dorsal horn. We investigated the primary afferent fibers that contribute to enhanced SPR internalization in the spinal cord after nerve transection and inflammation. Internalization evoked by electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve was examined in untreated animals, at 14 days after sciatic nerve transection or sham surgery and at 3 days after hindpaw inflammation. Electrical stimulation was delivered at intensities to excite Aβ fibers only, Aβ and Aδ fibers or A and C fibers as determined by the compound action potential recorded from the tibial nerve. Electrical stimuli were delivered at a constant rate of 10 Hz for a duration of 5 min. Transection of the sciatic nerve and inflammation produced a 33.7 and 32.5% increase in SPR and immunoreactivity in lamina I, respectively. Under normal conditions, stimulation of Aδ or C fibers evoked internalization that was confined to the superficial dorsal horn. After transection or inflammation, there was a 20–24% increase in the proportion of SPR+ lamina I neurons that exhibited internalization evoked by stimulation of Aδ fibers. The proportion of lamina I SPR+ neurons that exhibited internalization after stimulation of C-fibers was not altered by transection or inflammation because this was nearly maximal under normal conditions. Moreover, electrical stimulation sufficient to excite C fibers evoked SPR internalization in 22% of SPR+ lamina III neurons after nerve transection and in 32–36% of SPR+ neurons in lamina III and IV after inflammation. Stimulation of Aβ fibers alone never evoked internalization in the superficial or deep dorsal horn. These results indicate that activation of small-caliber afferent fibers contributes to the enhanced SPR internalization in the spinal cord after nerve transection and inflammation and suggest that recruitment of neurons that possess the SPR contributes to hyperalgesia.

scholarly journals Substance P-Driven Feed-Forward Inhibitory Activity in the Mammalian Spinal Cord

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1744-8069-1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terumasa Nakatsuka ◽  
Meng Chen ◽  
Daisuke Takeda ◽  
Christopher King ◽  
Jennifer Ling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Substance P ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Inhibitory Activity ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Feed Forward ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Somatosensory Input ◽  
Primary Afferent Fibers

In mammals, somatosensory input activates feedback and feed-forward inhibitory circuits within the spinal cord dorsal horn to modulate sensory processing and thereby affecting sensory perception by the brain. Conventionally, feedback and feed-forward inhibitory activity evoked by somatosensory input to the dorsal horn is believed to be driven by glutamate, the principle excitatory neurotransmitter in primary afferent fibers. Substance P (SP), the prototypic neuropeptide released from primary afferent fibers to the dorsal horn, is regarded as a pain substance in the mammalian somatosensory system due to its action on nociceptive projection neurons. Here we report that endogenous SP drives a novel form of feed-forward inhibitory activity in the dorsal horn. The SP-driven feed-forward inhibitory activity is long-lasting and has a temporal phase distinct from glutamate-driven feed-forward inhibitory activity. Compromising SP-driven feed-forward inhibitory activity results in behavioral sensitization. Our findings reveal a fundamental role of SP in recruiting inhibitory activity for sensory processing, which may have important therapeutic implications in treating pathological pain conditions using SP receptors as targets.

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