Dissecting the role of ethanol-induced plasticity in the PAG to BNST pathway in pain-related behaviors

酒精滥用在慢性疼痛患者中的高发生率强调了 继续研究疼痛和酒精使用障碍的有效治疗方法。它已被发现于 动物模型表明，长期接触酒精可以推动大脑的适应，这会导致疼痛增加- 相关行为。我们的长期目标是了解长期酒精暴露如何改变神经元 调节疼痛相关行为的回路，以开发更有效的方法来治疗酒精引起的 疼痛。这些研究特别感兴趣的一个区域是中脑导水管周围灰质(PAG)。我们之前已经 结果显示，急性酒精可激活腹外侧方PAG(PAGDA)中的多巴胺神经元亚群 在热板实验中，激活这些相同的神经元可以诱导一种抗伤害效应。此外，在 我们的初步数据发现，终纹床核(BNST)的输出被激活。 可以复制这种抗伤害性作用。这些发现值得注意，因为它们确定了一种新的上升 抗伤害感受通路(PAGDA至BNST)有别于已知的下行抗伤害感受通路 通路(PAG至延髓)。为了与PAGDA到BNST途径的关键作用保持一致，我们发现病毒 从BNST中删除CRF可以改变疼痛相关的行为。此外，我们还发现间歇性的 饮酒可以改变小鼠的疼痛相关行为。总而言之，这些研究支持 间歇性饮酒导致疼痛相关行为改变的可检验假说，部分是通过 PAGDA到BNST通路的破坏，以及在体内激活这一通路可以改善酒精- 诱发性痛觉过敏。

The high incidence of alcohol abuse that occurs in patients with chronic pain underscores the importance of continued research towards effective treatments for both pain and alcohol use disorders. It has been found in animal models that chronic alcohol exposure can drive adaptations in the brain, which drive increased pain- related behaviors. Our long-term goal is to understand how chronic alcohol exposure can alter the neuronal circuits that regulate pain-related behavior in order to develop more effective approaches to treat alcohol induced pain. One region of particular interest for these studies is the periaqueductal gray (PAG). We have previously shown that a subpopulation of dopamine neurons in the ventrolateral PAG (PAGDA) are activated by acute alcohol and activation of these same neurons induces an anti-nociceptive effect in the hot-plate test. Furthermore, in our preliminary data, we found that activation of the outputs to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) could replicate this anti-nociceptive effect. These findings are noteworthy, as they identify a novel ascending anti-nociceptive pathway (PAGDA to BNST) distinct from the well-characterized descending anti-nociceptive pathway (PAG to Medulla). In keeping with the critical role of the PAGDA to BNST pathway, we found that viral deletion of CRF from the BNST can alter pain related behaviors. In addition, we have found that intermittent alcohol drinking can drive changes in pain-related behavior in mice. Taken together, these studies support the testable hypothesis that intermittent alcohol drinking drives alterations in pain related behavior, in part through disruptions in the PAGDA to BNST pathway, and that in vivo activation of this pathway can ameliorate alcohol- induced hyperalgesia.