Chronic pain recruits hypothalamic dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor signalling to promote wakefulness and vigilance.

ABSTRACT: Increased vigilance in settings of potential threats or in states of vulnerability related to pain is important for survival. Pain disrupts sleep and conversely, sleep disruption enhances pain, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Chronic pain engages brain stress circuits and increases secretion of dynorphin, an endogenous ligand of the kappa opioid receptor (KOR). We therefore hypothesized that hypothalamic dynorphin/KOR signalling may be a previously unknown mechanism that is recruited in pathological conditions requiring increased vigilance. We investigated the role of KOR in wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in freely moving naïve mice and in mice with neuropathic pain induced by partial sciatic nerve ligation using EEG/EMG re

SUBMITTER: Ito H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10169443 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature