A Neural Circuit From Paraventricular Nucleus of the Thalamus to the Nucleus Accumbens Mediates Inflammatory Pain in Mice

作者：Xi Liu, Xi Zhang, Dongxu Wang, Ya Cao, Ling Zhang, Zhonghua Li, Qin Zhang, Yu Shen, Xian Lu, Keyu Fan, Mingxia Liu, Jing-Qiu Wei, Siping Hu, He Liu · 发表于：Brain and Behavior · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1002/brb3.70218 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Pain Mechanisms and Treatments、Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology、Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research

ABSTRACT Background Pain is a prevalent comorbidity in numerous clinical conditions and causes suffering; however, the mechanism of pain is intricate, and the neural circuitry underlying pain in the brain remains incompletely elucidated. More research into the perception and modulation of pain within the central nervous system is essential. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of animal behavior, and extensive research has unequivocally demonstrated its significant involvement in the occurrence and development of pain. NAc receives projections from various other neural nuclei within the brain, including the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT). In this experiment, we demonstrate that the specific glutamatergic neural circuit projection from PVT to NAc (PVT Glut →NAc) is implicated in the modulation of inflammatory pain in mice. Methods We compared the difference in pain thresholds between complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)‐induced inflammatory pain models and controls. Then in a well‐established mouse model of CFA‐induced inflammatory pain, immunofluorescence staining was utilized to evaluate changes in c‐Fos protein expression within PVT neurons. To investigate the role of PVT Glut →NAc in the modulation of pain, we used optogenetics to modulate this neural circuit, and nociceptive behavioral tests were employed to investigate the functional role of the PVT Glut →NAc circuit in the modulation of inflammatory pain. Results In the mice with...