Impaired neuronal macroautophagy in the prelimbic cortex contributes to comorbid anxiety-like behaviors in rats with chronic neuropathic pain.

ABSTRACT: A large proportion of patients with chronic pain experience co-morbid anxiety. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is proposed to underlie this comorbidity, but the molecular and neuronal mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we reported that impaired neuronal macroautophagy in the prelimbic cortical (PrL) subregion of the mPFC paralleled the occurrence of anxiety-like behaviors in rats with chronic spared nerve injury (SNI). Intriguingly, such macroautophagy impairment was mainly observed in a FOS/c-Fos⁺ neuronal subpopulation in the PrL. Chemogenetic inactivation of this comorbid anxiety-related neuronal ensemble relieved pain-induced anxiety-like behaviors. Rescuing macroautophagy impairment in this neuronal ensemble relieved chronic pain-associated anxiety and mechanica

SUBMITTER: Fu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11210912 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature