Descending inhibitory rostral ventromedial medulla neurons cause widespread antinociception and contribute to the pain-inhibits-pain phenomenon - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #RVM neurons
- #pain inhibition
- #DNIC/CPM mechanism
- Researchers identified descending inhibitory neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) that bilaterally innervate the spinal cord.
- Activation of these neurons reduces heat and cold sensitivity in healthy mice and produces widespread antihyperalgesia in chronic pain models.
- Silencing these neurons leads to mechanical allodynia and spontaneous pain-like behaviors.
- Noxious stimuli activate subsets of these neurons in the lateral paragigantocellularis nucleus (LPGi), which inhibit nociception.
- These spinally projecting inhibitory RVM neurons are likely circuit elements of diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM).
- Dysfunction of these neurons may contribute to widespread chronic pain syndromes.