A Central Amygdala –Ventrolateral Periaqueductal Gray Matter Pathway for Pain in a Mouse Model of Depression-like Behavior

Conclusions These findings indicate that the central amygdala –ventrolateral periaqueductal gray pathway may mediate some aspects of pain symptoms under depression conditions.Editor ’s PerspectiveWhat We Already Know about This TopicPatients with depression are more likely to develop chronic pain andvice versa.Neuroimaging studies reveal that many brain regions implicated in depression also contribute to central pain processing.The mechanisms through which depressive states influence pain processing are poorly understood.What This Article Tells Us That Is NewChemogenetic experiments in a mouse model of depression reveal the involvement of a neural circuitry between the central amygdala and the periaqueductal gray in nociception.In this mouse model, pathologically increased activity of inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid–mediated neurons in the central amygdala will result in the inhibition of inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid–mediated neurons in the periaqueductal gray. This, in turn, will lead to the activation of glutamatergic cells involved in periaqueductal gray–mediated nociception.These findings provide a framework for how the central amygdala –periaqueductal gray circuitry may play a role in coping with nociception in depressive states.
Source: Anesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research