Median nerve stimulation induces analgesia via orexin-initiated endocannabinoid disinhibition in the periaqueductal gray [Neuroscience]

Adequate pain management remains an unmet medical need. We previously revealed an opioid-independent analgesic mechanism mediated by orexin 1 receptor (OX1R)-initiated 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) signaling in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG). Here, we found that low-frequency median nerve stimulation (MNS) through acupuncture needles at the PC6 (Neiguan) acupoint (MNS-PC6) induced an...

http://www.pnas.org/content/115/45/E10720.short?rss=1

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - November 6, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Yi-Hung Chen, Hsin-Jung Lee, Ming Tatt Lee, Ya-Ting Wu, Yen-Hsien Lee, Ling-Ling Hwang, Ming-Shiu Hung, Andreas Zimmer, Ken Mackie, Lih-Chu Chiou Tags: PNAS Plus Source Type: research