Skip to main content

Umbrella menu

  • SfN.org
  • eNeuro
  • The Journal of Neuroscience
  • Neuronline
  • BrainFacts.org

Main menu

  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Latest Articles
    • Issue Archive
    • Editorials
    • Research Highlights
  • TOPICS
    • Cognition and Behavior
    • Development
    • Disorders of the Nervous System
    • History, Teaching and Public Awareness
    • Integrative Systems
    • Neuronal Excitability
    • Novel Tools and Methods
    • Sensory and Motor Systems
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • For the Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Feedback
  • SfN.org
  • eNeuro
  • The Journal of Neuroscience
  • Neuronline
  • BrainFacts.org

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
eNeuro
  • My alerts

eNeuro

Advanced Search

Submit a Manuscript
  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Latest Articles
    • Issue Archive
    • Editorials
    • Research Highlights
  • TOPICS
    • Cognition and Behavior
    • Development
    • Disorders of the Nervous System
    • History, Teaching and Public Awareness
    • Integrative Systems
    • Neuronal Excitability
    • Novel Tools and Methods
    • Sensory and Motor Systems
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • For the Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Feedback
PreviousNext
Research ArticleNew Research, Neuronal Excitability

Functional Reorganization of Local Circuit Connectivity in Superficial Spinal Dorsal Horn with Neuropathic Pain States

Nian Gong, Garo Hagopian, Todd C. Holmes, Z. David Luo and Xiangmin Xu
eNeuro 18 September 2019, 6 (5) ENEURO.0272-19.2019; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0272-19.2019
Nian Gong
1Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California 92868
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Garo Hagopian
1Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California 92868
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Todd C. Holmes
3Department of Physiology & Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Todd C. Holmes
Z. David Luo
1Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California 92868
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Z. David Luo
Xiangmin Xu
2Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Xiangmin Xu
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

The spinal dorsal horn is the first relay structure coding for pain transmission and modulation. Previous anatomical and electrophysiological studies have examined spinal dorsal horn circuit connections and network activity. Further work is required to understand spinal cord sensory information processing that underlies pathological neuropathic pain states. Our previous studies suggest that peripheral nerve injury enhances presynaptic excitatory input onto spinal superficial dorsal horn neurons, which in turn contributes to pathologic nociception. The potential changes in local postsynaptic circuits in the dorsal horn that lead to pathologically heightened behavioral responses to pain remain largely unexplored. We combined whole-cell electrophysiological recordings with laser-scanning photostimulation to test whether peripheral nerve injury in the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) mouse model of neuropathic pain leads to alterations in the functional connectivity of spinal cord circuits including lamina II excitatory interneurons. Here we show that SNL enhances excitation and decreases inhibition to lamina II excitatory interneurons along with their increased glutamate-evoked excitability. The enhanced excitatory postsynaptic input and connectivity evoked by SNL eventually return to normal levels concurrently with the resolution of the neuropathic pain states. The physiological pattern highly correlates with mouse pain behaviors following SNL, supporting a neurophysiological mechanism of central sensitization and neuropathic pain that is functionally localized to the spinal dorsal horn. Together, these data support that SNL induces functional changes in synaptic input and connectivity to lamina II excitatory interneurons that code for pain perception, and thus provide new insights into the mechanism and locus of pain hypersensitivity.

  • electrophysiology
  • excitatory
  • inhibitory
  • photostimulation
  • synaptic connections

Footnotes

  • The authors declare no competing financial interests.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided that the original work is properly attributed.

View Full Text
Back to top

In this issue

eneuro: 6 (5)
eNeuro
Vol. 6, Issue 5
September/October 2019
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Email

Thank you for sharing this eNeuro article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Functional Reorganization of Local Circuit Connectivity in Superficial Spinal Dorsal Horn with Neuropathic Pain States
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from eNeuro
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in eNeuro.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
View Full Page PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Functional Reorganization of Local Circuit Connectivity in Superficial Spinal Dorsal Horn with Neuropathic Pain States
Nian Gong, Garo Hagopian, Todd C. Holmes, Z. David Luo, Xiangmin Xu
eNeuro 18 September 2019, 6 (5) ENEURO.0272-19.2019; DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0272-19.2019

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Share
Functional Reorganization of Local Circuit Connectivity in Superficial Spinal Dorsal Horn with Neuropathic Pain States
Nian Gong, Garo Hagopian, Todd C. Holmes, Z. David Luo, Xiangmin Xu
eNeuro 18 September 2019, 6 (5) ENEURO.0272-19.2019; DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0272-19.2019
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Significance Statement
    • Introduction
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Acknowledgments
    • Footnotes
    • References
    • Synthesis
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Keywords

  • electrophysiology
  • excitatory
  • inhibitory
  • photostimulation
  • synaptic connections

Responses to this article

Respond to this article

Jump to comment:

No eLetters have been published for this article.

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

New Research

  • Neuregulin-4 is required for maintaining soma size of pyramidal neurons in the motor cortex
  • cAMP At Perinuclear mAKAPα Signalosomes Is Regulated By Local Ca2+ Signaling In Primary Hippocampal Neurons
  • The Medullary Targets of Neurally Conveyed Sensory Information From the Rat Hepatic Portal and Superior Mesenteric Veins
Show more New Research

Neuronal Excitability

  • NMDA receptors enhance the fidelity of synaptic integration
  • Sub-optimal Discontinuous Current-Clamp switching rates lead to deceptive mouse neuronal firing
  • Subunit-Specific Photocontrol of Glycine Receptors by Azobenzene-Nitrazepam Photoswitcher
Show more Neuronal Excitability

Subjects

  • Neuronal Excitability
  • Home
  • Alerts
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Facebook
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on Twitter
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on LinkedIn
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Youtube
  • Follow our RSS feeds

Content

  • Early Release
  • Current Issue
  • Latest Articles
  • Issue Archive
  • Blog
  • Browse by Topic

Information

  • For Authors
  • For the Media

About

  • About the Journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Feedback
(eNeuro logo)
(SfN logo)

Copyright © 2021 by the Society for Neuroscience.
eNeuro eISSN: 2373-2822

The ideas and opinions expressed in eNeuro do not necessarily reflect those of SfN or the eNeuro Editorial Board. Publication of an advertisement or other product mention in eNeuro should not be construed as an endorsement of the manufacturer’s claims. SfN does not assume any responsibility for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from or related to any use of any material contained in eNeuro.