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Mehnert J, Tinnermann A, Basedau H, May A. Functional representation of trigeminal nociceptive input in the human periaqueductal gray. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj8213. [PMID: 38507498 PMCID: PMC10954197 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj8213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is located in the mesencephalon in the upper brainstem and, as part of the descending pain modulation, is considered a crucial structure for pain control. Its modulatory effect on painful sensation is often seen as a systemic function affecting the whole body similarly. However, recent animal data suggest some kind of somatotopy in the PAG. This would make the PAG capable of dermatome-specific analgesic function. We electrically stimulated the three peripheral dermatomes of the trigemino-cervical complex and the greater occipital nerve in 61 humans during optimized brainstem functional magnetic resonance imaging. We provide evidence for a fine-grained and highly specific somatotopic representation of nociceptive input in the PAG in humans and a functional connectivity between the individual representations of the peripheral nerves in the PAG and the brainstem nuclei of these nerves. Our data suggest that the downstream antinociceptive properties of the PAG may be rather specific down to the level of individual dermatomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hauke Basedau
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Eppendorf, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Buhidma Y, Lama J, Duty S. Insight gained from using animal models to study pain in Parkinson's disease. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 174:99-118. [PMID: 38341233 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2023.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Pain is one of the key non-motor symptoms experienced by a large proportion of people living with Parkinson's disease (PD), yet the mechanisms behind this pain remain elusive and as such its treatment remains suboptimal. It is hoped that through the study of animal models of PD, we can start to unravel some of the contributory mechanisms, and perhaps identify models that prove useful as test beds for assessing the efficacy of potential new analgesics. However, just how far along this journey are we right now? Is it even possible to model pain in PD in animal models of the disease? And have we gathered any insight into pain mechanisms from the use of animal models of PD so far? In this chapter we intend to address these questions and in particular highlight the findings generated by others, and our own group, following studies in a range of rodent models of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazead Buhidma
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Wolfson Sensory, Pain and Regeneration Centre, Guy's Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joana Lama
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Wolfson Sensory, Pain and Regeneration Centre, Guy's Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Duty
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Wolfson Sensory, Pain and Regeneration Centre, Guy's Campus, London, United Kingdom.
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3
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Johnson SB, Lingg RT, Skog TD, Hinz DC, Romig-Martin SA, Viau V, Narayanan NS, Radley JJ. Activity in a prefrontal-periaqueductal gray circuit overcomes behavioral and endocrine features of the passive coping stress response. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210783119. [PMID: 36306326 PMCID: PMC9636920 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210783119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The question of how the brain links behavioral and biological features of defensive responses has remained elusive. The importance of this problem is underscored by the observation that behavioral passivity in stress coping is associated with elevations in glucocorticoid hormones, and each may carry risks for susceptibility to a host of stress-related diseases. Past work implicates the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the top-down regulation of stress-related behaviors; however, it is unknown whether such changes have the capacity to buffer against the longer-lasting biological consequences associated with aversive experiences. Using the shock probe defensive burying test in rats to naturalistically measure behavioral and endocrine features of coping, we observed that the active behavioral component of stress coping is associated with increases in activity along a circuit involving the caudal mPFC and midbrain dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (PAG). Optogenetic manipulations of the caudal mPFC-to-dorsolateral PAG pathway bidirectionally modulated active (escape and defensive burying) behaviors, distinct from a rostral mPFC-ventrolateral PAG circuit that instead limited passive (immobility) behavior. Strikingly, under conditions that biased rats toward a passive coping response set, including exaggerated stress hormonal output and increased immobility, excitation of the caudal mPFC-dorsolateral PAG projection significantly attenuated each of these features. These results lend insight into how the brain coordinates response features to overcome passive coping and may be of importance for understanding how activated neural systems promote stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane B. Johnson
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Ryan T. Lingg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Timothy D. Skog
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Dalton C. Hinz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Sara A. Romig-Martin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Victor Viau
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada
| | - Nandakumar S. Narayanan
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Jason J. Radley
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
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4
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García-Gomar MG, Singh K, Cauzzo S, Bianciardi M. In vivo structural connectome of arousal and motor brainstem nuclei by 7 Tesla and 3 Tesla MRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4397-4421. [PMID: 35633277 PMCID: PMC9435015 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Brainstem nuclei are key participants in the generation and maintenance of arousal, which is a basic function that modulates wakefulness/sleep, autonomic responses, affect, attention, and consciousness. Their mechanism is based on diffuse pathways ascending from the brainstem to the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain and cortex. Several arousal brainstem nuclei also participate in motor functions that allow humans to respond and interact with the surrounding through a multipathway motor network. Yet, little is known about the structural connectivity of arousal and motor brainstem nuclei in living humans. This is due to the lack of appropriate tools able to accurately visualize brainstem nuclei in conventional imaging. Using a recently developed in vivo probabilistic brainstem nuclei atlas and 7 Tesla diffusion‐weighted images (DWI), we built the structural connectome of 18 arousal and motor brainstem nuclei in living humans (n = 19). Furthermore, to investigate the translatability of our findings to standard clinical MRI, we acquired 3 Tesla DWI on the same subjects, and measured the association of the connectome across scanners. For both arousal and motor circuits, our results showed high connectivity within brainstem nuclei, and with expected subcortical and cortical structures based on animal studies. The association between 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla connectivity values was good, especially within the brainstem. The resulting structural connectome might be used as a baseline to better understand arousal and motor functions in health and disease in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Guadalupe García-Gomar
- Brainstem Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Kavita Singh
- Brainstem Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Simone Cauzzo
- Brainstem Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Life Sciences Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marta Bianciardi
- Brainstem Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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5
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Yu H, Miao W, Ji E, Huang S, Jin S, Zhu X, Liu MZ, Sun YG, Xu F, Yu X. Social touch-like tactile stimulation activates a tachykinin 1-oxytocin pathway to promote social interactions. Neuron 2022; 110:1051-1067.e7. [PMID: 35045339 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that affective and pleasant touch promotes individual well-being and facilitates affiliative social communication, although the neural circuit that mediates this process is largely unknown. Here, we show that social-touch-like tactile stimulation (ST) enhances firing of oxytocin neurons in the mouse paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) and promotes social interactions and positively reinforcing place preference. These results link pleasant somatosensory stimulation to increased social interactions and positive affective valence. We further show that tachykinin 1 (Tac1+) neurons in the lateral and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (l/vlPAG) send monosynaptic excitatory projections to PVH oxytocin neurons. Functionally, activation of PVH-projecting Tac1+ neurons increases firing of oxytocin neurons, promotes social interactions, and increases preference for the social touch context, whereas reducing activity of Tac1+ neurons abolishes ST-induced oxytocin neuronal firing. Together, these results identify a dipeptidergic pathway from l/vlPAG Tac1+ neurons to PVH oxytocin neurons, through which pleasant sensory experience promotes social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wanying Miao
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - En Ji
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shajin Huang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Sen Jin
- Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xutao Zhu
- Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ming-Zhe Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan-Gang Sun
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fuqiang Xu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Peking University McGovern Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Autism Research Center of Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China.
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6
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Lubejko ST, Graham RD, Livrizzi G, Schaefer R, Banghart MR, Creed MC. The role of endogenous opioid neuropeptides in neurostimulation-driven analgesia. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:1044686. [PMID: 36591324 PMCID: PMC9794630 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.1044686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the prevalence of chronic pain worldwide, there is an urgent need to improve pain management strategies. While opioid drugs have long been used to treat chronic pain, their use is severely limited by adverse effects and abuse liability. Neurostimulation techniques have emerged as a promising option for chronic pain that is refractory to other treatments. While different neurostimulation strategies have been applied to many neural structures implicated in pain processing, there is variability in efficacy between patients, underscoring the need to optimize neurostimulation techniques for use in pain management. This optimization requires a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying neurostimulation-induced pain relief. Here, we discuss the most commonly used neurostimulation techniques for treating chronic pain. We present evidence that neurostimulation-induced analgesia is in part driven by the release of endogenous opioids and that this endogenous opioid release is a common endpoint between different methods of neurostimulation. Finally, we introduce technological and clinical innovations that are being explored to optimize neurostimulation techniques for the treatment of pain, including multidisciplinary efforts between neuroscience research and clinical treatment that may refine the efficacy of neurostimulation based on its underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan T. Lubejko
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Robert D. Graham
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Center, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Giulia Livrizzi
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Robert Schaefer
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Center, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Matthew R. Banghart
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Matthew R. Banghart,
| | - Meaghan C. Creed
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Center, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Meaghan C. Creed,
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7
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Roversi K, Callai-Silva N, Roversi K, Griffith M, Boutopoulos C, Prediger RD, Talbot S. Neuro-Immunity and Gut Dysbiosis Drive Parkinson's Disease-Induced Pain. Front Immunol 2021; 12:759679. [PMID: 34868000 PMCID: PMC8637106 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.759679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting 1-2% of the population aged 65 and over. Additionally, non-motor symptoms such as pain and gastrointestinal dysregulation are also common in PD. These impairments might stem from a dysregulation within the gut-brain axis that alters immunity and the inflammatory state and subsequently drives neurodegeneration. There is increasing evidence linking gut dysbiosis to the severity of PD's motor symptoms as well as to somatosensory hypersensitivities. Altogether, these interdependent features highlight the urgency of reviewing the links between the onset of PD's non-motor symptoms and gut immunity and whether such interplays drive the progression of PD. This review will shed light on maladaptive neuro-immune crosstalk in the context of gut dysbiosis and will posit that such deleterious interplays lead to PD-induced pain hypersensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katiane Roversi
- Département de Pharmacologie et Physiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département d'Ophtalmologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Natalia Callai-Silva
- Département de Pharmacologie et Physiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département d'Ophtalmologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Karine Roversi
- Département de Pharmacologie et Physiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - May Griffith
- Centre de Recherche Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département d'Ophtalmologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Christos Boutopoulos
- Centre de Recherche Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département d'Ophtalmologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Rui Daniel Prediger
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Sébastien Talbot
- Département de Pharmacologie et Physiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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8
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NejadShahrokhAbadi R, Zangouei AS, Mohebbati R, Shafei MN. Determining the cardiovascular effects of nitric oxide in the dorsolateral Periaqueductal Gray (dlPAG) in anaesthetised rats. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2020; 15:502-508. [PMID: 33318742 PMCID: PMC7715464 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (dlPAG) is an area located in the brain stem that performs a host of functions including cardiovascular regulation. Owing to the presence of nitric oxide (NO) in this area, we investigated its effect on the cardiovascular system. METHODS We divided rats into four groups: 1) control; 2) l-arginine (L-Arg, a precursor for nitric oxide, 60 nmol); 3) l-NAME (N omega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 90 nmol); and 4) sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a nitric oxide donor, 27 nmol). After anaesthesia, the rats were mounted on a stereotaxic apparatus and the drugs were microinjected into the dlPAG. Cardiovascular parameters were continuously recorded by a PowerLab system connected to the cannulated femoral artery via a pressure transducer. The changes (Δ) of systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate (HR) were calculated at different times as compared to the control group. RESULTS In the l-NAME group, the ΔSBP, ΔMAP, and ΔHR were not significantly affected compared to the control group. In the L-Arg group, ΔSBP and ΔMAP increased; however, only SBP showed a significant increase compared to the control group. In the SNP group, SBP and MAP were significantly affected in comparison to the controls. Additionally, ΔHR decreased in both L-Arg and SNP, but was only significant in L-Arg. CONCLUSION Our study showed that NO of dlPAG has a pressor effect and attenuates baroreflex bradycardia. However, its pressor effect is more significant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amir Sadra Zangouei
- Student Research Committee, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Reza Mohebbati
- Neurogenic Inflammation Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Naser Shafei
- Neurogenic Inflammation Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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9
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Differential Encoding of Predator Fear in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus and Periaqueductal Grey. J Neurosci 2020; 40:9283-9292. [PMID: 33115925 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0761-18.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventromedial hypothalamus is a central node of the mammalian predator defense network. Stimulation of this structure in rodents and primates elicits abrupt defensive responses, including flight, freezing, sympathetic activation, and panic, while inhibition reduces defensive responses to predators. The major efferent target of the ventromedial hypothalamus is the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), and stimulation of this structure also elicits flight, freezing, and sympathetic activation. However, reversible inhibition experiments suggest that the ventromedial hypothalamus and periaqueductal gray play distinct roles in the control of defensive behavior, with the former proposed to encode an internal state necessary for the motivation of defensive responses, while the latter serves as a motor pattern initiator. Here, we used electrophysiological recordings of single units in behaving male mice exposed to a rat to investigate the encoding of predator fear in the dorsomedial division of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHdm) and the dPAG. Distinct correlates of threat intensity and motor responses were found in both structures, suggesting a distributed encoding of sensory and motor features in the medial hypothalamic-brainstem instinctive network.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although behavioral responses to predatory threat are essential for survival, the underlying neuronal circuits remain undefined. Using single unit in vivo electrophysiological recordings in mice, we have identified neuronal populations in the medial hypothalamus and brainstem that encode defensive responses to a rat predator. We found that both structures encode both sensory as well as motor aspects of the behavior although with different kinetics. Our findings provide a framework for understanding how innate sensory cues are processed to elicit adaptive behavioral responses to threat and will help to identify targets for the pharmacological modulation of related pathologic behaviors.
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10
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Waung MW, Margolis EB, Charbit AR, Fields HL. A Midbrain Circuit that Mediates Headache Aversiveness in Rats. Cell Rep 2020; 28:2739-2747.e4. [PMID: 31509737 PMCID: PMC6831085 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Migraines are a major health burden, but treatment is limited because of inadequate understanding of neural mechanisms underlying headache. Imaging studies of migraine patients demonstrate changes in both pain-modulatory circuits and reward-processing regions, but whether these changes contribute to the experience of headache is unknown. Here, we demonstrate a direct connection between the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that contributes to headache aversiveness in rats. Many VTA neurons receive monosynaptic input from the vlPAG, and cranial nociceptive input increases Fos expression in VTA-projecting vlPAG neurons. Activation of PAG inputs to the VTA induces avoidance behavior, while inactivation of these projections induces a place preference only in animals with headache. This work identifies a distinct pathway that mediates cranial nociceptive aversiveness. Migraine headache is a common and debilitating disorder, yet its brain-activation patterns are poorly understood. Waung et al. discover that headache activates a connection between the periaqueductal gray and the ventral tegmental area in rats. Turning off this connection has no effect normally but decreases unpleasantness during headaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie W Waung
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Elyssa B Margolis
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Annabelle R Charbit
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Howard L Fields
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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11
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Ventromedial medullary pathway mediating cardiac responses evoked from periaqueductal gray. Auton Neurosci 2020; 228:102716. [PMID: 32882606 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2020.102716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a midbrain region that projects to areas controlling behavioral and autonomic outputs and is involved in the behavioral and physiological components of defense reactions. Since Raphe Pallidus (RPa) is a medial medullary region comprising sympathetic premotor neurons governing heart function, it is worth considering the PAG-RPa path. We assessed: i) whether PAG projects to RPa; ii) the amplitude of cardiac responses evoked from PAG; iii) whether cardiovascular responses evoked from PAG rely on RPa. Experiments conducted in Wistar rats (±300 g) were approved by Ethics Committee CEUA-UFG (092/18). Firstly, (n = 3), monosynaptic retrograde tracer Retrobeads was injected into RPa; PAG slices were analyzed. Other two groups (n = 6 each) were anesthetized with urethane (1.4 g/kg) and chloralose (120 mg/kg) and underwent craniotomy, tracheostomy, catheterization of femoral artery and vein and of cardiac left ventricle. In one group, we injected the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline methiodide (BMI - 40 pmol/100 nL) into lateral/dorsolateral PAG. Another group was injected (100 nL) with the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol (20 mM) into RPa, 20 min before BMI into PAG. The results were: i) retrogradely labelled neurons were found in PAG; ii) PAG activation by BMI caused positive chronotropism and inotropism, which were accompanied by afterload increases; iii) RPa inhibition with Muscimol reduced heart rate, arterial and ventricular pressures; iv) the subsequent PAG activation still increased arterial pressure, cardiac chronotropy and inotropy, but these responses were significantly attenuated. In conclusion, PAG activation increases cardiac chronotropy and inotropy, and these responses seem to rely on a direct pathway reaching ventromedial medullary RPa neurons.
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12
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Park SH, Weber F. Neural and Homeostatic Regulation of REM Sleep. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1662. [PMID: 32793050 PMCID: PMC7385183 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a distinct, homeostatically controlled brain state characterized by an activated electroencephalogram (EEG) in combination with paralysis of skeletal muscles and is associated with vivid dreaming. Understanding how REM sleep is controlled requires identification of the neural circuits underlying its initiation and maintenance, and delineation of the homeostatic processes regulating its expression on multiple timescales. Soon after its discovery in humans in 1953, the pons was demonstrated to be necessary and sufficient for the generation of REM sleep. But, especially within the last decade, researchers have identified further neural populations in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and medulla that regulate REM sleep by either promoting or suppressing this brain state. The discovery of these populations was greatly facilitated by the availability of novel technologies for the dissection of neural circuits. Recent quantitative models integrate findings about the activity and connectivity of key neurons and knowledge about homeostatic mechanisms to explain the dynamics underlying the recurrence of REM sleep. For the future, combining quantitative with experimental approaches to directly test model predictions and to refine existing models will greatly advance our understanding of the neural and homeostatic processes governing the regulation of REM sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Franz Weber
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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13
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Brandão ML, Lovick TA. Role of the dorsal periaqueductal gray in posttraumatic stress disorder: mediation by dopamine and neurokinin. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:232. [PMID: 31530797 PMCID: PMC6748916 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0565-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In susceptible individuals, exposure to intensely traumatic life events can lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including long-term dysregulation of the contextual processing of aversive stimuli, the overgeneralization of learned fear, and impairments in the ability to learn or respond to safety signals. The neuropathophysiological changes that underlie PTSD remain incompletely understood. Attention has focused on forebrain structures associated with fear processing. Here we consider evidence from human and animal studies that long-lasting changes in functional connectivity between the midbrain periaqueductal gray (dPAG) and amygdala may be one of the precipitating events that contribute to PTSD. Long-lasting neuroplastic changes in the dPAG can persist after a single aversive stimulation and are pharmacologically labile. The early stage (at least up to 24 h post-stimulation) involves neurokinin-1 receptor-mediated events in the PAG and amygdala and is also regulated by dopamine, both of which are mainly involved in transferring ascending aversive information from the dPAG to higher brain structures, mainly the amygdala. Changes in the functional connectivity within the dPAG-amygdala circuit have been reported in PTSD patients. We suggest that further investigations of plasticity and pharmacology of the PAG-amygdala network provide a promising target for understanding pathophysiological circuitry that underlies PTSD in humans and that dopaminergic and neurokininergic drugs may have a potential for the treatment of psychiatric disorders that are associated with a dysfunctional dPAG.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. L. Brandão
- grid.456657.3Instituto de Neurociências e Comportamento, Avenida do Café, 2450, 14050-220 Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil ,0000 0004 1937 0722grid.11899.38NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14049-900 Brazil
| | - T. A. Lovick
- 0000 0004 1937 0722grid.11899.38NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14049-900 Brazil ,0000 0004 1936 7603grid.5337.2School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, B15 2TT UK
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14
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Faull OK, Subramanian HH, Ezra M, Pattinson KTS. The midbrain periaqueductal gray as an integrative and interoceptive neural structure for breathing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 98:135-144. [PMID: 30611797 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a critical role in autonomic function and behavioural responses to threatening stimuli. Recent evidence has revealed the PAG's potential involvement in the perception of breathlessness, a highly threatening respiratory symptom. In this review, we outline the current evidence in animals and humans on the role of the PAG in respiratory control and in the perception of breathlessness. While recent work has unveiled dissociable brain activity within the lateral PAG during perception of breathlessness and ventrolateral PAG during conditioned anticipation in healthy humans, this is yet to be translated into diseases dominated by breathlessness symptomology, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Understanding how the sub-structures of the PAG differentially interact with interoceptive brain networks involved in the perception of breathlessness will help towards understanding discordant symptomology, and may reveal treatment targets for those debilitated by chronic and pervasive breathlessness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia K Faull
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Martyn Ezra
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kyle T S Pattinson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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15
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Kawai Y. Differential Ascending Projections From the Male Rat Caudal Nucleus of the Tractus Solitarius: An Interface Between Local Microcircuits and Global Macrocircuits. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:63. [PMID: 30087599 PMCID: PMC6066510 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To integrate and broadcast neural information, local microcircuits and global macrocircuits interact within certain specific nuclei of the central nervous system. The structural and functional architecture of this interaction was determined for the caudal nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) at the level of the area postrema (AP), a relay station of peripheral viscerosensory information that is processed and conveyed to brain regions concerned with autonomic-affective and other interoceptive reflexive functions. Axon collaterals of most small NTS cells (soma <150 μm2) establish excitatory or inhibitory local microcircuits likely to control the activity of nearby NTS cells and to transfer peripheral signals to efferent projection neurons. At least two types of cells that constitute efferent pathways from the caudal NTS (cNTS) were distinguished: (1) a greater numbers of small cells, seemingly forming local excitatory microcircuits via recurrent axon collaterals, that project specifically and unidirectionally to the lateral parabrachial nucleus; and (2) a much smaller numbers of cells likely to establish multiple global connections, mostly via the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) or the dorsal longitudinal fascicle (DLF), with a wide range of brain regions, including the ventrolateral medulla (VLM), hypothalamus, central nucleus of the amygdala (ACe), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), spinal cord dorsal horn, brainstem reticular formation, locus coeruleus (LC), periaqueductal gray (PAG) and periventricular diencephalon (including the epithalamus). The evidence presented here suggests that distinct cNTS cell types distinguished by projection pattern and related structural and functional features participate differentially in the computation of viscerosensory information and coordination of global macro-networks in a highly organized manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshinori Kawai
- Department of Anatomy, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Center for Neuroscience of Pain, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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16
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Fukushi I, Yokota S, Okada Y. The role of the hypothalamus in modulation of respiration. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2018; 265:172-179. [PMID: 30009993 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2018.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Revised: 06/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamus is a higher center of the autonomic nervous system and maintains essential body homeostasis including respiration. The paraventricular nucleus, perifornical area, dorsomedial hypothalamus, and lateral and posterior hypothalamus are the primary nuclei of the hypothalamus critically involved in respiratory control. These hypothalamic nuclei are interconnected with respiratory nuclei located in the midbrain, pons, medulla and spinal cord. We provide an extensive review of the role of the above hypothalamic nuclei in the maintenance of basal ventilation, and modulation of respiration in hypoxic and hypercapnic conditions, during dynamic exercise, in awake and sleep states, and under stress. Dysfunction of the hypothalamus causes abnormal breathing and hypoventilation. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms how the hypothalamus integrates and modulates autonomic and respiratory functions remain to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isato Fukushi
- Clinical Research Center, Murayama Medical Center, 2-37-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan.
| | - Shigefumi Yokota
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Shimane University School of Medicine, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Okada
- Clinical Research Center, Murayama Medical Center, 2-37-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan
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17
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Hashikawa Y, Hashikawa K, Falkner AL, Lin D. Ventromedial Hypothalamus and the Generation of Aggression. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:94. [PMID: 29375329 PMCID: PMC5770748 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggression is a costly behavior, sometimes with severe consequences including death. Yet aggression is prevalent across animal species ranging from insects to humans, demonstrating its essential role in the survival of individuals and groups. The question of how the brain decides when to generate this costly behavior has intrigued neuroscientists for over a century and has led to the identification of relevant neural substrates. Various lesion and electric stimulation experiments have revealed that the hypothalamus, an ancient structure situated deep in the brain, is essential for expressing aggressive behaviors. More recently, studies using precise circuit manipulation tools have identified a small subnucleus in the medial hypothalamus, the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl), as a key structure for driving both aggression and aggression-seeking behaviors. Here, we provide an updated summary of the evidence that supports a role of the VMHvl in aggressive behaviors. We will consider our recent findings detailing the physiological response properties of populations of VMHvl cells during aggressive behaviors and provide new understanding regarding the role of the VMHvl embedded within the larger whole-brain circuit for social sensation and action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Koichi Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Annegret L Falkner
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
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18
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Brethel-Haurwitz KM, O'Connell K, Cardinale EM, Stoianova M, Stoycos SA, Lozier LM, VanMeter JW, Marsh AA. Amygdala-midbrain connectivity indicates a role for the mammalian parental care system in human altruism. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20171731. [PMID: 29070724 PMCID: PMC5666102 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Costly altruism benefitting a stranger is a rare but evolutionarily conserved phenomenon. This behaviour may be supported by limbic and midbrain circuitry that supports mammalian caregiving. In rodents, reciprocal connections between the amygdala and the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG) are critical for generating protective responses toward vulnerable and distressed offspring. We used functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging to explore whether these regions play a role in supporting costly altruism in humans. We recruited a rare population of altruists, all of whom had donated a kidney to a stranger, and measured activity and functional connectivity of the amygdala and PAG as altruists and matched controls responded to care-eliciting scenarios. When these scenarios were coupled with pre-attentive distress cues, altruists' sympathy corresponded to greater activity in the left amygdala and PAG, and functional connectivity analyses revealed increased coupling between these regions in altruists during this epoch. We also found that altruists exhibited greater fractional anisotropy within the left amygdala-PAG white matter tract. These results, coupled with previous evidence of altruists' increased amygdala-linked sensitivity to distress, are consistent with costly altruism resulting from enhanced care-oriented responses to vulnerability and distress that are supported by recruitment of circuitry that supports mammalian parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katherine O'Connell
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Elise M Cardinale
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Maria Stoianova
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Sarah A Stoycos
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Leah M Lozier
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - John W VanMeter
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Abigail A Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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19
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Ullah F, dos Anjos-Garcia T, Mendes-Gomes J, Elias-Filho DH, Falconi-Sobrinho LL, Freitas RLD, Khan AU, Oliveira RD, Coimbra NC. Connexions between the dorsomedial division of the ventromedial hypothalamus and the dorsal periaqueductal grey matter are critical in the elaboration of hypothalamically mediated panic-like behaviour. Behav Brain Res 2017; 319:135-147. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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20
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Gandhi W, Morrison I, Schweinhardt P. How Accurate Appraisal of Behavioral Costs and Benefits Guides Adaptive Pain Coping. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:103. [PMID: 28659834 PMCID: PMC5467009 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coping with pain is a complex phenomenon encompassing a variety of behavioral responses and a large network of underlying neural circuits. Whether pain coping is adaptive or maladaptive depends on the type of pain (e.g., escapable or inescapable), personal factors (e.g., individual experiences with coping strategies in the past), and situational circumstances. Keeping these factors in mind, costs and benefits of different strategies have to be appraised and will guide behavioral decisions in the face of pain. In this review we present pain coping as an unconscious decision-making process during which accurately evaluated costs and benefits lead to adaptive pain coping behavior. We emphasize the importance of passive coping as an adaptive strategy when dealing with ongoing pain and thus go beyond the common view of passivity as a default state of helplessness. In combination with passive pain coping, we highlight the role of the reward system in reestablishing affective homeostasis and discuss existing evidence on a behavioral and neural level. We further present neural circuits involved in the decision-making process of pain coping when circumstances are ambiguous and, therefore, costs and benefits are difficult to anticipate. Finally, we address the wider implications of this topic by discussing its relevance for chronic pain patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiebke Gandhi
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,The Alan Edwards Center for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - India Morrison
- Center for Affective and Social Neuroscience, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Petra Schweinhardt
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,The Alan Edwards Center for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Interdisciplinary Spinal Research Group, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
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21
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Loonen AJM, Ivanova SA. Circuits regulating pleasure and happiness in major depression. Med Hypotheses 2015; 87:14-21. [PMID: 26826634 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2015.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2015] [Revised: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The introduction of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors has gradually changed the borders of the major depression disease class. Anhedonia was considered a cardinal symptom of endogenous depression, but the potential of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to treat anxiety disorders has increased the relevance of stress-induced morbidity. This shift has led to an important heterogeneity of current major depressive disorder. The complexity can be disentangled by postulating the existence of two different but mutually interacting neuronal circuits regulating the intensity of anhedonia (lack of pleasure) and dysphoria (lack of happiness). These circuits are functionally dominated by partly closed limbic (regulating misery-fleeing behaviour) and extrapyramidal (regulating reward-seeking behaviour) cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits. The re-entry circuits include the shell and core parts of the accumbens nucleus, respectively. Pleasure can be considered to result from finding relief from the hypermotivation to exhibit rewarding behaviour, and happiness from finding relief from negative or conflicting circumstances. Hyperactivity of the extrapyramidal CSTC circuit results in craving, whereas hyperactivity of the limbic system results in dysphoria.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J M Loonen
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - S A Ivanova
- Mental Health Research Institute, and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
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22
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de Abreu AR, Abreu AR, Santos LT, de Souza AA, da Silva LG, Chianca DA, de Menezes RC. Amygdalar neuronal activity mediates the cardiovascular responses evoked from the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray in conscious rats. Neuroscience 2014; 284:737-750. [PMID: 25451289 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Revised: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There is ample evidence that both lateral/dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (l/dlPAG) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) are essential for the regulation of the autonomic responses evoked during innate reactions to threatening stimuli. However, it is not well established to what extent the BLA regulates the upstream functional connection from the l/dlPAG. Here we evaluated the role of the BLA and its glutamatergic receptors in the cardiovascular responses induced by l/dlPAG stimulation in rats. We examined the influence of acute inhibition of the BLA, unilaterally, by injecting muscimol on the cardiovascular responses evoked by the injection of N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) into the l/dlPAG. We also evaluated the role of BLA ionotropic glutamate receptors in these responses by injecting antagonists of NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptor subtypes into the BLA. Our results show that the microinjection of NMDA in the BLA increased the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR). Injection of NMDA into the l/dlPAG caused similar increases in these variables, which was prevented by the prior injection of muscimol, a GABAA agonist, into the BLA. Moreover, injection of glutamatergic antagonists (2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (AP5) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX)) into the BLA reduced the increase in MAP and HR induced by l/dlPAG activation. Finally, the inhibition of the central amygdala neurons failed to reduce the cardiovascular changes induced by l/dlPAG activation. These results indicate that physiological responses elicited by l/dlPAG activation require the neuronal activity in the BLA. This ascending excitatory pathway from the l/dlPAG to the BLA might ensure the expression of the autonomic component of the defense reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R de Abreu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000, Brazil.
| | - A R Abreu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000, Brazil.
| | - L T Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000, Brazil.
| | - A A de Souza
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000, Brazil.
| | - L G da Silva
- Department of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Governador Valadares, MG, Brazil.
| | - D A Chianca
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000, Brazil.
| | - R C de Menezes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000, Brazil.
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23
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Paul ED, Johnson PL, Shekhar A, Lowry CA. The Deakin/Graeff hypothesis: focus on serotonergic inhibition of panic. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 3:379-96. [PMID: 24661986 PMCID: PMC4170046 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 02/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Deakin/Graeff hypothesis proposes that different subpopulations of serotonergic neurons through topographically organized projections to forebrain and brainstem structures modulate the response to acute and chronic stressors, and that dysfunction of these neurons increases vulnerability to affective and anxiety disorders, including panic disorder. We outline evidence supporting the existence of a serotonergic system originally discussed by Deakin/Graeff that is implicated in the inhibition of panic-like behavioral and physiological responses. Evidence supporting this panic inhibition system comes from the following observations: (1) serotonergic neurons located in the 'ventrolateral dorsal raphe nucleus' (DRVL) as well as the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VLPAG) inhibit dorsal periaqueductal gray-elicited panic-like responses; (2) chronic, but not acute, antidepressant treatment potentiates serotonin's panicolytic effect; (3) contextual fear activates a central nucleus of the amygdala-DRVL/VLPAG circuit implicated in mediating freezing and inhibiting panic-like escape behaviors; (4) DRVL/VLPAG serotonergic neurons are central chemoreceptors and modulate the behavioral and cardiorespiratory response to panicogenic agents such as sodium lactate and CO2. Implications of the panic inhibition system are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan D Paul
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA.
| | - Philip L Johnson
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA.
| | - Anantha Shekhar
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA.
| | - Christopher A Lowry
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA.
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24
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Abstract
This article provides an integrated review of the basic anatomy and physiology of the pain processing pathways. The transmission and parcellation of noxious stimuli from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system is discussed. In addition, the inhibitory and excitatory systems that regulate pain along with the consequences of dysfunction are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bourne
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, S4, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Andre G Machado
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neurological Restoration, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, S31, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Sean J Nagel
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neurological Restoration, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, S31, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
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25
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Kinkead R, Tenorio L, Drolet G, Bretzner F, Gargaglioni L. Respiratory manifestations of panic disorder in animals and humans: a unique opportunity to understand how supramedullary structures regulate breathing. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2014; 204:3-13. [PMID: 25038523 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2014.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The control of breathing is commonly viewed as being a "brainstem affair". As the topic of this special issue of Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology indicates, we should consider broadening this notion since the act of breathing is also tightly linked to many functions other than close regulation of arterial blood gases. Accordingly, "non-brainstem" structures can exert a powerful influence on the core elements of the respiratory control network and as it is often the case, the importance of these structures is revealed when their dysfunction leads to disease. There is a clear link between respiration and anxiety and key theories of the psychopathology of anxiety (including panic disorders; PD) focus on respiratory control and related CO2 monitoring system. With that in mind, we briefly present the respiratory manifestations of panic disorder and discuss the role of the dorso-medial/perifornical hypothalamus, the amygdalar complex, and the periaqueductal gray in respiratory control. We then present recent advances in basic research indicating how adult rodent previously subjected to neonatal stress may provide a very good model to investigate the pathophysiology of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Kinkead
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Canada; Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Luana Tenorio
- Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology, Sao Paulo State University - UNESP FCAV at Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Guy Drolet
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Canada; Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Frédéric Bretzner
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Canada; Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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26
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Lopes LT, Biancardi V, Vieira EB, Leite-Panissi C, Bícego KC, Gargaglioni LH. Participation of the dorsal periaqueductal grey matter in the hypoxic ventilatory response in unanaesthetized rats. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2014; 211:528-37. [PMID: 24612700 DOI: 10.1111/apha.12254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Revised: 12/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIM Although periaqueductal grey matter activation is known to elicit respiratory and cardiovascular responses, the role of this midbrain area in the compensatory responses to hypoxia is still unknown. To test the participation of the periaqueductal grey matter in cardiorespiratory and thermal responses to hypoxia in adult male Wistar rats, we performed a chemical lesion of the dorsolateral/dorsomedial or the ventrolateral/lateral periaqueductal grey matter using ibotenic acid. METHODS Pulmonary ventilation, mean arterial pressure, heart rate and body temperature were measured in unanaesthetized rats during normoxic and hypoxic exposure (5, 15, 30 min, 7% O2). RESULTS An ibotenic acid lesion of the dorsolateral/dorsomedial periaqueductal grey matter caused a higher increase in pulmonary ventilation (67.1%, 1730±282.5 mL kg(-1) min(-1)) compared to the Sham group (991.4±194 mL kg(-1) min(-1)) after 15 min in hypoxia, whereas for the ventrolateral/Lateral periaqueductal grey matter lesion, no differences were observed between groups. Mean arterial pressure, heart rate and body temperature were not affected by a dorsolateral/dorsomedial or ventrolateral/lateral periaqueductal grey matter lesion. CONCLUSION Middle to caudal portions of the dorsolateral/dorsomedial periaqueductal grey matter neurones modulate the hypoxic ventilatory response, exerting an inhibitory modulation during low O2 situations. In addition, the middle to caudal portions of the dorsolateral/dorsomedial or ventrolateral/lateral periaqueductal grey matter do not appear to exert a tonic role on cardiovascular or thermal parameters during normoxic and hypoxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. T. Lopes
- Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology; São Paulo State University (FCAV/UNESP); Jaboticabal SP Brazil
| | - V. Biancardi
- Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology; São Paulo State University (FCAV/UNESP); Jaboticabal SP Brazil
| | - E. B. Vieira
- Department of Morphology, Physiology and Basic Pathology; Dental School of Ribeirao Preto; University of São Paulo (USP); RibeirãoPreto SP Brazil
| | - C. Leite-Panissi
- Department of Morphology, Physiology and Basic Pathology; Dental School of Ribeirao Preto; University of São Paulo (USP); RibeirãoPreto SP Brazil
| | - K. C. Bícego
- Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology; São Paulo State University (FCAV/UNESP); Jaboticabal SP Brazil
| | - L. H. Gargaglioni
- Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology; São Paulo State University (FCAV/UNESP); Jaboticabal SP Brazil
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Lintas A. Discharge properties of neurons recorded in the parvalbumin-positive (PV1) nucleus of the rat lateral hypothalamus. Neurosci Lett 2014; 571:29-33. [PMID: 24780564 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2014] [Revised: 04/13/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study reports for the first time the extracellular activity recorded, in anesthetized rats, from cells located in an identified cluster of parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons of the lateral hypothalamus forming the PV1-nucleus. Random-like firing characterized the majority (21/30) of the cells, termed regular cells, with a median firing rate of 1.7 spikes/s, Fano factor equal to 1, and evenly distributed along the rostro-caudal axis. Four cells exhibiting an oscillatory activity in the range 1.6-2.1Hz were observed only in the posterior part of the PV1-nucleus. The asynchronous activity of PV1 neurons is likely to produce a "network-driven" effect on their main target within the periaqueductal gray matter. The hypothesis is raised that background random-like firing of PV1-nucleus is associated with functional network activity likely to contribute dynamic information related to condition transitions of awareness and non-conscious perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Lintas
- Department of Medicine/Unit of Anatomy, University of Fribourg, Switzerland; Neuroheuristic Research Group, HEC Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Neural mechanisms of female sexual behavior in the rat; comparison with male ejaculatory control. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2014; 121:16-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Revised: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Genaro K, Juliano MA, Prado WA, Brandão ML, Martins AR. Effects of angiotensin (5-8) microinfusions into the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray on defensive behaviors in rats. Behav Brain Res 2013; 256:537-44. [PMID: 24041538 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Revised: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 09/10/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Peptides of the renin-angiotensin system modulate blood pressure and hydro-electrolyte composition. Angiotensin (Ang) receptors are localized in brain areas related to the regulation of autonomic and endocrine control and involved in sensory perception, memory process and behavioral responses. Among these areas, the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) is one of the most important structures of the neuronal circuitry controlling the autonomic and behavioral components of emotional states. Although Ang II metabolism in the vlPAG forms several Ang-peptides including Ang (5-8), the role of this tetrapeptide in the organization of defensive responses has not yet been described. To address this issue, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of intra-vlPAG injections of Ang (5-8) (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 nmol/0.25 μL) in rats submitted to the elevated plus-maze (EPM) test. Additionally, it was evaluated the effects of intra-vlPAG Ang (5-8) on the expression of conditioned fear, assessed by the fear-potentiated startle and contextual conditioned freezing tests. The results showed that Ang (5-8) produced an intense, dose-related reduction in the entries into and time spent in the open arms of the EPM, decreased direct exploration and increased risk assessment behaviors. Moreover, intra-vlPAG injections of Ang (5-8) before the test session promoted pro-aversive effects in the FPS and enhanced contextual freezing. Taken together, these results point out to an important anxiogenic-like action for Ang (5-8) in the mediation of defensive behaviors organized in the vlPAG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Genaro
- Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Uberaba, MG, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Farmacologia, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Instituto de Neurociências e Comportamento, INeC, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Involvement of prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex in panic-like elaborated defensive behaviour and innate fear-induced antinociception elicited by GABAA receptor blockade in the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei: role of the endocannabinoid CB1 receptor. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2013; 16:1781-98. [PMID: 23521775 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145713000163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been shown that GABAA receptor blockade in the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei (DMH and VMH, respectively) induces elaborated defensive behavioural responses accompanied by antinociception, which has been utilized as an experimental model of panic attack. Furthermore, the prelimbic (PL) division of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) has been related to emotional reactions and the processing of nociceptive information. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible involvement of the PL cortex and the participation of local cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the elaboration of panic-like reactions and in innate fear-induced antinociception. Elaborated fear-induced responses were analysed during a 10-min period in an open-field test arena. Microinjection of the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline into the DMH/VMH evoked panic-like behaviour and fear-induced antinociception, which was decreased by microinjection of the non-selective synaptic contact blocker cobalt chloride in the PL cortex. Moreover, microinjection of AM251 (25, 100 or 400 pmol), an endocannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist, into the PL cortex also attenuated the defensive behavioural responses and the antinociception that follows innate fear behaviour elaborated by DMH/VMH. These data suggest that the PL cortex plays an important role in the organization of elaborated forward escape behaviour and that this cortical area is also involved in the elaboration of innate fear-induced antinociception. Additionally, CB1 receptors in the PL cortex modulate both panic-like behaviours and fear-induced antinociception elicited by disinhibition of the DMH/VMH through microinjection of bicuculline.
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Kittelberger JM, Bass AH. Vocal-motor and auditory connectivity of the midbrain periaqueductal gray in a teleost fish. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:791-812. [PMID: 22826153 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2012] [Revised: 06/03/2012] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a central role in the descending control of vocalization across vertebrates. The PAG has also been implicated in auditory-vocal integration, although its precise role in such integration remains largely unexplored. Courtship and territorial interactions in plainfin midshipman fish depend on vocal communication, and the PAG is a central component of the midshipman vocal-motor system. We made focal neurobiotin injections into the midshipman PAG to both map its auditory-vocal circuitry and allow evolutionary comparisons with tetrapod vertebrates. These injections revealed an extensive bidirectional pattern of connectivity between the PAG and known sites in both the descending vocal-motor and the ascending auditory systems, including portions of the telencephalon, dorsal thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior tuberculum, midbrain, and hindbrain. Injections in the medial PAG produced dense label within hindbrain auditory nuclei, whereas those confined to the lateral PAG preferentially labeled hypothalamic and midbrain auditory areas. Thus, the teleost PAG may have functional subdivisions playing different roles in vocal-auditory integration. Together the results confirm several pathways previously identified by injections into known auditory or vocal areas and provide strong support for the hypothesis that the teleost PAG is centrally involved in auditory-vocal integration.
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Bonassoli VT, Contardi EB, Milani H, de Oliveira RMW. Effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibition in the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray matter on ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 228:487-98. [PMID: 23494233 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3049-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Nitric oxide (NO)-mediated transmission in the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray matter (dlPAG) has been involved in the expression of anxiety-like behaviors. Ethanol withdrawal sensitizes the dlPAG and results in increased anxiety-like responses. OBJECTIVES The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that NO in the dlPAG is involved in the expression of ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety. METHODS Male Wistar rats were implanted with guide cannulae aimed at the dlPAG. The animals were forced to consume a liquid diet containing ethanol 6-8 % (v/v) for 15 days as their only source of diet. Six days after surgery and 24 h after ethanol discontinuation, the animals received microinjections of the NO scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (carboxy-PTIO), nonselective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N (G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor 1-(2-[trifluoromethyl]phenyl) imidazole (TRIM), or selective inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor N-([3-(aminomethyl)phenyl]methyl) ethanimidamide dihydrochloride (1400W) into the dlPAG. Ten minutes later, the animals were tested in the light/dark box. RESULTS Carboxy-PTIO (1 nmol), L-NAME (200 nmol), TRIM (20 nmol), and 1400W (0.3 and 1 nmol) decreased the anxiogenic-like effects of ethanol withdrawal in rats in the light/dark box test. The NO precursor L-arginine reversed the effects of L-NAME. CONCLUSIONS NO production in the dlPAG may play a role in the modulation of ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior in rats. Furthermore, iNOS-mediated NO synthesis in the dlPAG is predominantly involved in the behavioral expression of anxiety-like behavior during ethanol withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Taciany Bonassoli
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, State University of Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
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de Freitas RL, Salgado-Rohner CJ, Biagioni AF, Medeiros P, Hallak JEC, Crippa JAS, Coimbra NC. NMDA and AMPA/Kainate Glutamatergic Receptors in the Prelimbic Medial Prefrontal Cortex Modulate the Elaborated Defensive Behavior and Innate Fear-Induced Antinociception Elicited by GABAA Receptor Blockade in the Medial Hypothalamus. Cereb Cortex 2013; 24:1518-28. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bht001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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Fos activation of selective afferents to ventral tegmental area during cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats. J Neurosci 2012; 32:13309-26. [PMID: 22993446 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2277-12.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons are crucial for appetitive responses to Pavlovian cues, including cue-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. However, it is unknown which VTA inputs help activate these neurons, transducing stimuli into salient cues that drive drug-seeking behavior. Here we examined 56 VTA afferents from forebrain and midbrain that are Fos activated during cue-induced reinstatement. We injected the retrograde tracer cholera toxin β subunit (CTb) unilaterally into rostral or caudal VTA of male rats. All animals were trained to self-administer cocaine, then extinguished of this behavior. On a final test day, animals were exposed to response-contingent cocaine-associated cues, extinction conditions, a non-cocaine-predictive CS-, or a novel environment, and brains were processed to visualize CTb and Fos immunoreactivity to identify VTA afferents activated in relation to behaviors. VTA-projecting neurons in subregions of medial accumbens shell, ventral pallidum, elements of extended amygdala, and lateral septum (but not prefrontal cortex) were activated specifically during cue-induced cocaine seeking, and some of these were also activated proportionately to the degree of cocaine seeking. Surprisingly, though efferents from the lateral hypothalamic orexin field were also Fos activated during reinstatement, these were largely non-orexinergic. Also, VTA afferents from the rostromedial tegmental nucleus and lateral habenula were specifically activated during extinction and CS- tests, when cocaine was not expected. These findings point to a select set of subcortical nuclei which provide reinstatement-related inputs to VTA, translating conditioned stimuli into cocaine-seeking behavior.
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Barr GA, Wang S. Analgesia induced by localized injection of opiate peptides into the brain of infant rats. Eur J Pain 2012. [PMID: 23203254 DOI: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00245.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stimulation of a variety of brain sites electrically or by opiates activates descending inhibitory pathways to attenuate noxious input to the spinal cord dorsal horn and produce analgesia. Analgesia induced by electrical stimulation of the periaqueductal grey (PAG) of the midbrain or medial rostral ventral medulla (RVM) matures late, towards the end or past the pre-weaning period. Descending facilitation takes precedence over inhibition. Yet opiates injected intracerebroventricularly or directly into the PAG induce analgesia relatively early in development. Our goal was to re-examine the role of opiates specific to individual receptor types in analgesia at several supraspinal sites. METHODS Antinociception was tested following microinjection of DAMGO (μ-opiate agonist), DPDPE (∂-opiate agonist) or U50,488 (κ-opiate agonist) into the PAG, RVM or dorsal lateral pons (DLP) in 3-, 10- and 14-day-old rats. RESULTS DAMGO produced analgesia at 3 days of age at each brain area; the RVM was the most effective and the dorsal PAG was the least effective site. DPDPE produced modest analgesia at 10 and 14 days of age at the ventral PAG, RVM or DLP, but not the dorsal PAG. U50,488H was ineffective at all sites and all ages. CONCLUSIONS Antinociception could be elicited at all three sites by DAMGO as early as 3 days of age and DPDPE at 10 and 14 days of age. The degree of analgesia increased gradually during the first 2 weeks of life, and likely reflects the maturation of connections within the brain and of descending inhibitory paths from these sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Barr
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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The dorsolateral periaqueductal gray and its role in mediating fear learning to life threatening events. PLoS One 2012; 7:e50361. [PMID: 23209724 PMCID: PMC3508919 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Accepted: 10/19/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsolateral column of the periaqueductal gray (dlPAG) integrates aversive emotional experiences and represents an important site responding to life threatening situations, such as hypoxia, cardiac pain and predator threats. Previous studies have shown that the dorsal PAG also supports fear learning; and we have currently explored how the dlPAG influences associative learning. We have first shown that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) 100 pmol injection in the dlPAG works as a valuable unconditioned stimulus (US) for the acquisition of olfactory fear conditioning (OFC) using amyl acetate odor as conditioned stimulus (CS). Next, we revisited the ascending projections of the dlPAG to the thalamus and hypothalamus to reveal potential paths that could mediate associative learning during OFC. Accordingly, the most important ascending target of the dlPAG is the hypothalamic defensive circuit, and we were able to show that pharmacological inactivation using β-adrenoceptor blockade of the dorsal premammillary nucleus, the main exit way for the hypothalamic defensive circuit to thalamo-cortical circuits involved in fear learning, impaired the acquisition of the OFC promoted by NMDA stimulation of the dlPAG. Moreover, our tracing study revealed multiple parallel paths from the dlPAG to several thalamic targets linked to cortical-hippocampal-amygdalar circuits involved in fear learning. Overall, the results point to a major role of the dlPAG in the mediation of aversive associative learning via ascending projections to the medial hypothalamic defensive circuit, and perhaps, to other thalamic targets, as well. These results provide interesting perspectives to understand how life threatening events impact on fear learning, and should be useful to understand pathological fear memory encoding in anxiety disorders.
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Suckow SK, Deichsel EL, Ingram SL, Morgan MM, Aicher SA. Columnar distribution of catecholaminergic neurons in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and their relationship to efferent pathways. Synapse 2012; 67:94-108. [PMID: 23152302 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2012] [Accepted: 11/01/2012] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a critical brain region involved in opioid analgesia and provides efferents to descending pathways that modulate nociception. In addition, the PAG contains ascending pathways to regions involved in the regulation of reward, including the substantia nigra (SN) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). SN and VTA contain dopaminergic neurons that are critical for the maintenance of positive reinforcement. Interestingly, the PAG is also reported to contain a population of dopaminergic neurons. In this study, the distribution of catecholaminergic neurons within the ventrolateral (vl) PAG was examined using immunocytochemical methods. In addition, the catecholaminergic PAG neurons were examined to determine whether these neurons are integrated into ascending (VTA, SN) and descending rostral ventral medulla (RVM) efferent pathways from this region. The immunocytochemical analysis determined that catecholaminergic neurons in the PAG are both dopaminergic and noradrenergic and these neurons have a distinct rostrocaudal distribution within the ventrolateral column of PAG. Dopaminergic neurons were concentrated rostrally and were significantly smaller than noradrenergic neurons. Combined immunocytochemistry and tract tracing methods revealed that catecholaminergic neurons are distinct from, but closely associated with, both ascending and descending efferent projection neurons. Finally, by electron microscopy, catecholaminergic neurons showed close dendritic appositions with other neurons in PAG, suggesting a possible nonsynaptic mechanism for regulation of PAG output by these neurons. In conclusion, our data indicate that there are two populations of catecholaminergic neurons in the vlPAG that form dendritic associations with both ascending and descending efferents suggesting a possible nonsynaptic modulation of vlPAG neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby K Suckow
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97223, USA
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Teodorov E, Ferrari M, Fior-Chadi D, Camarini R, Felício L. Behavioral meaningful opioidergic stimulation activates kappa receptor gene expression. Braz J Med Biol Res 2012; 45:982-7. [PMID: 22641418 PMCID: PMC3854178 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2012007500091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Accepted: 05/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) has been reported to be a location for opioid regulation of pain and a potential site for behavioral selection in females. Opioid-mediated behavioral and physiological responses differ according to the activity of opioid receptor subtypes. The present study investigated the effects of the peripheral injection of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U69593 into the dorsal subcutaneous region of animals on maternal behavior and on Oprk1 gene activity in the PAG of female rats. Female Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g at the beginning of the study were randomly divided into 2 groups for maternal behavior and gene expression experiments. On day 5, pups were removed at 7:00 am and placed in another home cage that was distant from their mother. Thirty minutes after removing the pups, the dams were treated with U69593 (0.15 mg/kg, sc) or 0.9% saline (up to 1 mL/kg) and after 30 min were evaluated in the maternal behavior test. Latencies in seconds for pup retrieval, grouping, crouching, and full maternal behavior were scored. The results showed that U69593 administration inhibited maternal behavior (P < 0.05) because a lower percentage of kappa group dams showed retrieval of first pup, retrieving all pups, grouping, crouching and displaying full maternal behavior compared to the saline group. Opioid gene expression was evaluated using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A single injection of U69593 increased Oprk1 PAG expression in both virgin (P < 0.05) and lactating female rats (P < 0.01), with no significant effect on Oprm1 or Oprd1 gene activity. Thus, the expression of kappa-opioid receptors in the PAG may be modulated by single opioid receptor stimulation and behavioral meaningful opioidergic transmission in the adult female might occur simultaneously to specific changes in gene expression of kappa-opioid receptor subtype. This is yet another alert for the complex role of the opioid system in female reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Teodorov
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | - M.F.R. Ferrari
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | - D.R. Fior-Chadi
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | - R. Camarini
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | - L.F. Felício
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
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Ziegler DR, Edwards MR, Ulrich-Lai YM, Herman JP, Cullinan WE. Brainstem origins of glutamatergic innervation of the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. J Comp Neurol 2012; 520:2369-94. [PMID: 22247025 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Multiple lines of evidence document a role for glutamatergic input to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVH) in stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. However, the neuroanatomical origins of the glutamatergic input have yet to be definitively determined. We have previously shown that vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) is the predominant VGLUT isoform expressed in the basal forebrain and brainstem, including PVH-projecting regions, and that the PVH is preferentially innervated by VGLUT2-immunoreactive terminals/boutons. The present study employed a dual-labeling approach, combining immunolabeling for a retrograde tract tracer, Fluoro-Gold (FG), with in situ hybridization for VGLUT2 mRNA, to map the brainstem and caudal forebrain distribution of glutamatergic PVH-projecting neurons. The present report presents evidence for substantial dual labeling in the periaqueductal gray, caudal portions of the zona incerta and subparafascicular nucleus, and the lateral parabrachial nucleus. The current data also suggest that relatively few PVH-projecting neurons in ascending raphe nuclei, nucleus of the solitary tract, or ventrolateral medulla are VGLUT2 positive. The data reveal multiple brainstem origins of glutamatergic input to PVH that are positioned to play a role in transducing a diverse range of stressful stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana R Ziegler
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-1881, USA.
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Hypothalamic Control of Sleep in Aging. Neuromolecular Med 2012; 14:139-53. [DOI: 10.1007/s12017-012-8175-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2011] [Accepted: 02/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Mota-Ortiz SR, Sukikara MH, Bittencourt JC, Baldo MV, Elias CF, Felicio LF, Canteras NS. The periaqueductal gray as a critical site to mediate reward seeking during predatory hunting. Behav Brain Res 2012; 226:32-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2011] [Revised: 08/20/2011] [Accepted: 08/23/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Fontes MAP, Xavier CH, de Menezes RCA, Dimicco JA. The dorsomedial hypothalamus and the central pathways involved in the cardiovascular response to emotional stress. Neuroscience 2011; 184:64-74. [PMID: 21435377 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Revised: 03/07/2011] [Accepted: 03/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Psychological stress elicits increases in sympathetic activity accompanied by a marked cardiovascular response. Revealing the relevant central mechanisms involved in this phenomenon could contribute significantly to our understanding of the pathogenesis of stress-related cardiovascular diseases, and the key to this understanding is the identification of the nuclei, pathways and neurotransmitters involved in the organization of the cardiovascular response to stress. The present review will focus specifically on the dorsomedial hypothalamus, a brain region now known to play a primary role in the synaptic integration underlying the cardiovascular response to emotional stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A P Fontes
- Laboratório de Hipertensão, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Ikemoto S. Brain reward circuitry beyond the mesolimbic dopamine system: a neurobiological theory. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 35:129-50. [PMID: 20149820 PMCID: PMC2894302 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 288] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2009] [Revised: 01/31/2010] [Accepted: 02/03/2010] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Reductionist attempts to dissect complex mechanisms into simpler elements are necessary, but not sufficient for understanding how biological properties like reward emerge out of neuronal activity. Recent studies on intracranial self-administration of neurochemicals (drugs) found that rats learn to self-administer various drugs into the mesolimbic dopamine structures-the posterior ventral tegmental area, medial shell nucleus accumbens and medial olfactory tubercle. In addition, studies found roles of non-dopaminergic mechanisms of the supramammillary, rostromedial tegmental and midbrain raphe nuclei in reward. To explain intracranial self-administration and related effects of various drug manipulations, I outlined a neurobiological theory claiming that there is an intrinsic central process that coordinates various selective functions (including perceptual, visceral, and reinforcement processes) into a global function of approach. Further, this coordinating process for approach arises from interactions between brain structures including those structures mentioned above and their closely linked regions: the medial prefrontal cortex, septal area, ventral pallidum, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, preoptic area, lateral hypothalamic areas, lateral habenula, periaqueductal gray, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus and parabrachical area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Ikemoto
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
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Omelchenko N, Sesack SR. Periaqueductal gray afferents synapse onto dopamine and GABA neurons in the rat ventral tegmental area. J Neurosci Res 2010; 88:981-91. [PMID: 19885830 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.22265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The midbrain central gray (periaqueductal gray; PAG) mediates defensive behaviors and is implicated in the rewarding effects of opiate drugs. Projections from the PAG to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) suggest that this region might also regulate behaviors involving motivation and cognition. However, studies have not yet examined the morphological features of PAG axons in the VTA or whether they synapse onto dopamine (DA) or GABA neurons. In this study, we injected anterograde tracers into the rat PAG and used immunoperoxidase to visualize the projections to the VTA. Immunogold-silver labeling for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) or GABA was then used to identify the phenotype of innervated cells. Electron microscopic examination of the VTA revealed axons labeled anterogradely from the PAG, including myelinated and unmyelinated fibers and axon varicosities, some of which formed identifiable synapses. Approximately 55% of these synaptic contacts were of the symmetric (presumably inhibitory) type; the rest were asymmetric (presumably excitatory). These findings are consistent with the presence of both GABA and glutamate projection neurons in the PAG. Some PAG axons contained dense-cored vesicles indicating the presence of neuropeptides in addition to classical neurotransmitters. PAG projections synapsed onto both DA and GABA cells with no obvious selectivity, providing the first anatomical evidence for these direct connections. The results suggest a diverse nature of PAG physiological actions on midbrain neurons. Moreover, as both the VTA and PAG are implicated in the reinforcing actions of opiates, our findings provide a potential substrate for some of the rewarding effects of these drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Omelchenko
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
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Plasticity of Opioid Receptors in the Female Periaqueductal Gray: Multiparity-Induced Increase in the Activity of Genes Encoding for Mu and Kappa Receptors and a Post-Translational Decrease in Delta Receptor Expression. J Mol Neurosci 2010; 43:175-81. [DOI: 10.1007/s12031-010-9407-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2009] [Accepted: 06/11/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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GABAA receptor signaling in caudal periaqueductal gray regulates maternal aggression and maternal care in mice. Behav Brain Res 2010; 213:230-7. [PMID: 20457185 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2010] [Revised: 04/07/2010] [Accepted: 05/03/2010] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Maternal aggression (maternal defense) is exhibited by lactating females towards intruders and contributes to the protection of offspring. Enhancement of Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) receptor signaling by benzodiazepines elevates maternal aggression, and we previously found indirect evidence (via c-Fos immunohistochemistry) that caudal periaqueductal gray (cPAG) and lateral septum (LS) could be sites where benzodiazepines increase aggression. We recently found that GABA(A) receptor signaling in LS modulates maternal aggression, and in this study, we tested the hypothesis that GABA(A) receptor signaling in cPAG also regulates this behavior. Site-directed injections to cPAG were made in lactating mice using the GABA(A) receptor antagonist, bicuculline (3-9 ng) or the GABA(A) receptor positive modulator, chlordiazepoxide (CDP), a benzodiazepine (2.5-20 microg). Maternal aggression, other maternal behaviors, and anxiety-like measures (using the light-dark box) were then examined. GABA(A) receptor positive modulator did not increase aggression, which could have resulted from a ceiling effect. However, 8 ng and 9 ng of bicuculline in cPAG significantly decreased maternal aggression without altering other maternal behaviors or light-dark box performance, suggesting some GABA(A) receptor signaling in cPAG is required for full maternal aggression expression. Additionally, 7 ng of bicuculline significantly increased licking/grooming of pups, and decreased the number of transitions between the light and dark compartments of the light-dark box without affecting aggression. Given these results indicating that antagonizing GABA(A) receptor in cPAG dose-dependently promotes offspring grooming behavior while impairing aggression, it is possible that the cPAG represents a key site for decision making (aggression versus other behaviors) in the lactating female.
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Hahn JD, Swanson LW. Distinct patterns of neuronal inputs and outputs of the juxtaparaventricular and suprafornical regions of the lateral hypothalamic area in the male rat. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 64:14-103. [PMID: 20170674 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresrev.2010.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2009] [Revised: 02/09/2010] [Accepted: 02/10/2010] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
We have analyzed at high resolution the neuroanatomical connections of the juxtaparaventricular region of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHAjp); as a control and in comparison to this, we also performed a preliminary analysis of a nearby LHA region that is dorsal to the fornix, namely the LHA suprafornical region (LHAs). The connections of these LHA regions were revealed with a coinjection tract-tracing technique involving a retrograde (cholera toxin B subunit) and anterograde (Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin) tracer. The LHAjp and LHAs together connect with almost every major division of the cerebrum and cerebrospinal trunk, but their connection profiles are markedly different and distinct. In simple terms, the connections of the LHAjp indicate a possible primary role in the modulation of defensive behavior; for the LHAs, a role in the modulation of ingestive behavior is suggested. However, the relation of the LHAjp and LHAs to potential modulation of these behaviors, as indicated by their neuroanatomical connections, appears to be highly integrative as it includes each of the major functional divisions of the nervous system that together determine behavior, i.e., cognitive, state, sensory, and motor. Furthermore, although a primary role is indicated for each region with respect to a particular mode of behavior, intermode modulation of behavior is also indicated. In summary, the extrinsic connections of the LHAjp and LHAs (so far as we have described them) suggest that these regions have a profoundly integrative role in which they may participate in the orchestrated modulation of elaborate behavioral repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Hahn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2520, USA.
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Green AL, Hyam JA, Williams C, Wang S, Shlugman D, Stein JF, Paterson DJ, Aziz TZ. Intra-Operative Deep Brain Stimulation of the Periaqueductal Grey Matter Modulates Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in Humans. Neuromodulation 2010; 13:174-81. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-1403.2010.00274.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Cunha JM, Zanoveli JM, Ledvinka-Filho E, Brandão ML. L-allylglycine dissociates the neural substrates of fear in the periaqueductal gray of rats. Brain Res Bull 2009; 81:416-23. [PMID: 19800953 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2009.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2009] [Revised: 09/17/2009] [Accepted: 09/29/2009] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The dorsal (dPAG) and ventral (vPAG) regions of the periaqueductal gray are well known to contain the neural substrates of fear and anxiety. Chemical or electrical stimulation of the dPAG induces freezing, followed by a robust behavioral reaction that has been considered an animal model of panic attack. In contrast, the vPAG is part of a neural system, in which immobility is the usual response to its stimulation. The defense reaction induced by the stimulation of either region is accompanied by antinociception. Although GABAergic mechanisms are known to exert tonic inhibitory control on the neural substrates of fear in the dPAG, the role of these mechanisms in the vPAG is still unclear. The present study examined defensive behaviors and antinociception induced by microinjections of an inhibitor of gamma-aminobutyric acid synthesis, L-allylglycine (l-AG; 1, 3, and 5 microg/0.2 microl), into either the dPAG or vPAG of rats subjected to the open field and tail-flick tests. Passive or tense immobility was the predominant behavior after L-AG (1 or 3 microg) microinjection into the vPAG and dPAG, respectively, which was replaced with intense hyperactivity, including jumps or rearings, after injections of a higher dose (5 microg/0.2 microl) into the dPAG or vPAG. Moreover, whereas intra-dPAG injection of 3 microg L-AG produced intense antinociception, only weak antinociception was induced by intra-vPAG injections of 5 microg L-AG. These findings suggest that GABA mechanisms are involved in the mediation of antinociception and behavioral inhibition to aversive stimulation of the vPAG and exert powerful control over the neural substrates of fear in the dPAG to prevent a full-blown defense reaction possibly associated with panic disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joice Maria Cunha
- Instituto de Neurociências e Comportamento-INeC, Campus USP, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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