Contribution of MCL memory circuits to opioid seeking in chronic pain

阿片类药物被广泛用于患有慢性疼痛的患者，尽管事实上我们仍然 对阿片类药物、慢性疼痛以及这两种情况对大脑功能的影响知之甚少。主要 这个项目的目标是（i）提供新的证据，奖励之间的功能相互作用，疼痛， 记忆处理电路，（ii）确定这种相互作用如何受到慢性疼痛的影响，以及（iii）显示 恢复这些回路的功能是否可以减轻疼痛和阿片类药物成瘾。根据我们最近和 在初步研究中，我们发现中脑边缘腹侧被盖区（VTA）投射的功能变化， 到DH，携带疼痛和奖励信息，改变海马可塑性，使DH-RSC记忆 回路获得过度控制慢性疼痛和阿片类药物的渴望。剖析个人的角色 神经递质回路对于更好地理解阿片类药物寻求中的性别特异性差异至关重要， 显示女性对厌恶触发的敏感性较高，男性对奖励的敏感性较高 触发器具体目标1旨在确定VTA-DH投射在慢性疼痛和阿片类药物中的作用。 使用多巴胺能、γ-氨基丁酸能、多巴胺能途径的化学发生失活来产生渴望。具体目标2 将使用类似的方法来确定神经元能DH-RSC和RSC-VTA投射的作用。 具体目标3将显示离散VTA-DH-RSC投射的性别特异性活性是否足以 引起疼痛和对阿片类药物的渴求具体目标4将把项目3的主要结果与其他项目的结果结合起来。 通过研究记忆和奖励回路之间的关系（项目2）， VTA中转录变化与VTA-DH回路重组之间的关系（项目4）， 单个VTA-DH-RSC通路对全脑活动和连接的影响（项目1），以及 我们的研究结果与患者人群的相关性（项目1）。我们希望能证明， 处理疼痛、奖赏和记忆的通路，在慢性疼痛期间改变它们的刺激特异性， 成瘾，引起DH可塑性的变化和VTA-DH-RSC回路的重组。电路， 转录和突触机制，在这个项目中确定将作为一个新的发展的基础， 治疗慢性疼痛和成瘾。 !

Opioid drugs are widely prescribed to patients suffering from chronic pain despite the fact that we still know very little about the impact of opioids, chronic pain, and both conditions on brain function. The main goals of this project are to (i) provide novel evidence for the functional interaction between reward-, pain-, and memory-processing circuits, (ii) determine how this interaction is affected by chronic pain, and (iii) show whether restoring the function of these circuits can reduce pain and opioid addiction. Based on our recent and pilot studies, we posit that functional changes in projections from the mesolimbic ventral tegmental area (VTA) to DH, carrying information on pain and reward, alter hippocampal plasticity and enable the DH-RSC memory circuit to gain excessive control over both chronic pain and opioid craving. Dissecting the role of individual neurotransmitter circuits is essential for the better understanding of sex-specific differences in opioid seeking, showing higher susceptibility of females to aversive triggers and higher susceptibility of males to rewarding triggers. Specific Aim 1 is designed to determine the role of VTA-DH projections in chronic pain and opioid craving using chemogenetic inactivation of glutamatergic, GABAergic, dopaminergic pathways. Specific Aim 2 will use similar approaches to determine the role of glutamatergic DH-RSC and RSC-VTA projections. Specific Aim 3 will show whether sex-specific activity of discrete VTA-DH-RSC projections is sufficient to induce pain and opioid craving. Specific Aim 4 will integrate key findings of Project 3 with findings of the other projects of the Center by examining the relationship between memory and reward circuits (Project 2), the relationship between transcriptional changes in the VTA and the reorganization of VTA-DH circuits (Project 4), the impact of individual VTA-DH-RSC pathways on whole brain activity and connectivity (Project 1), and the relevance of our findings for patient populations (Project 1). We expect to show that originally distinct pathways processing pain, reward, and memory, alter their stimulus specificity during chronic pain and addiction, causing changes of DH plasticity and reorganization of the VTA-DH-RSC circuit. The circuit, transcriptional, and synaptic mechanisms identified in this project will serve as a basis for development of new treatments for chronic pain and addiction. !