PAIN, NOCICEPTION AND THE AMYGDALA

描述：(改编自申请者的摘要)持续性疼痛有强烈的 情感成分。作为边缘系统的一部分，杏仁核起着关键作用。 在行为的情感和自主方面，对 感觉刺激的情绪意义，情绪学习和记忆，以及 压力反应。一种从桥臂旁区域到大脑皮质的新通路 杏仁核已被描述，并可能在脊椎之间提供重要的联系 接受疼痛输入的脑干区域和较高的大脑中心 包括杏仁中央核(CEA)。杏仁核的作用 而CEA神经元，特别是在持续性疼痛中的作用尚不清楚，是 这项提案的主题。持续性疼痛对CEA活性的影响 神经元将使用高岭土/卡拉胶炎症膝关节模型进行研究 在老鼠身上。活体细胞外单单位记录和全细胞电压- 并使用来自体外脑片的电流钳记录来检查 CEA神经元的功能特性及谷氨酸的影响 细胞反应的受体亚型。《特定目标1》比较 CEA神经元伤害性反应和非伤害性反应 体内持续的炎症性疼痛。在体外的平行实验中， 突触传递和膜特性在两个来源的输入 CEA、桥臂旁复合体-CEA(ppb-CEA)输入和基底外侧核 杏仁核-癌胚抗原(BLA-CEA)。具体目标2决定了参与 谷氨酸受体(离子型和代谢型)在脑内的分布 体内炎症增强的伤害性信息处理。在平行实验中 在体外，谷氨酸受体亚型的影响被分析为效应 关于突触传递，包括突触前后的影响和 炎症后的细胞膜性质。

DESCRIPTION: (adapted from applicant's abstract) Persistent pain has a strong emotional component. As part of the limbic system the amygdala plays a key role in the affective and autonomic aspects of behavior, the evaluation of the emotional significance of sensory stimuli, emotional learning and memory, and stress responses. A novel pathway from the pontine parabrachial region to the amygdala has been described and may provide an important link between spinal and brainstem regions that receive pain input with higher brain centers including the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). The role of the amygdala and CeA neurons, in particular, in persistent pain is not clear and is the subject of this proposal. The effects of persistent pain on the activity of CeA neurons will be studied using the kaolin/carrageenan inflamed knee joint model in the rat. Extracellular single unit recording in vivo and whole cell voltage- and current-clamp recordings from brain slices in vitro are used to examine functional properties of CeA neurons and to assess the influence of glutamate receptor subtypes on cellular responses. Specific Aim 1 compares the nociceptive and non-nociceptive responses of CeA neurons before and during persistent inflammatory pain in vivo. In parallel experiments in vitro, synaptic transmission and membrane properties at two sources of input to the CeA, the pontine parabrachial complex-CeA (pPB-CeA) input and the basolateral amygdala-CeA (BLA-CeA) are analyzed. Specific Aim 2 determines the involvement of glutamate receptors (ionotropic and metabotropic) in the inflammation-enhanced nociceptive processing in vivo. In parallel experiments in vitro, the influence of glutamate receptor subtypes is analyzed for effects on synaptic transmission including pre- versus postsynaptic influences and membrane properties after inflammation.