LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Dopamine receptor D2, but not D1, mediates descending dopaminergic pathway–produced analgesic effect in a trigeminal neuropathic pain mouse model

Photo from wikipedia

Abstract Neuropathic pain represents a challenge to clinicians because it is resistant to commonly prescribed analgesics due to its largely unknown mechanisms. Here, we investigated a descending dopaminergic pathway–mediated modulation… Click to show full abstract

Abstract Neuropathic pain represents a challenge to clinicians because it is resistant to commonly prescribed analgesics due to its largely unknown mechanisms. Here, we investigated a descending dopaminergic pathway–mediated modulation of trigeminal neuropathic pain. We performed chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve from the maxillary branch of trigeminal nerve to induce trigeminal neuropathic pain in mice. Our retrograde tracing showed that the descending dopaminergic projection from hypothalamic A11 nucleus to spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis is bilateral. Optogenetic/chemogenetic manipulation of dopamine receptors D1 and D2 in the spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis produced opposite effects on the nerve injury–induced trigeminal neuropathic pain. Specific excitation of dopaminergic neurons in the A11 nucleus attenuated the trigeminal neuropathic pain through the activation of D2 receptors in the spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Conversely, specific ablation of the A11 dopaminergic neurons exacerbated such pain. Our results suggest that the descending A11−spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis dopaminergic projection is critical for the modulation of trigeminal neuropathic pain and could be manipulated to treat such pain.

Keywords: dopaminergic pathway; descending dopaminergic; neuropathic pain; spinal trigeminal; trigeminal neuropathic; pain

Journal Title: PAIN
Year Published: 2019

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.