Hes5⁺ astrocytes potentiate primary afferent Aδ and C fiber-mediated excitatory synaptic transmission to spinal lamina I neurons.

ABSTRACT: Astrocytes are critical in regulating synaptic transmission in the central nervous system (CNS). The spinal dorsal horn (SDH) is a crucial region that processes and integrates somatosensory information from the periphery and transmits it to the brain. Our previous work demonstrated that stimulation of an astrocyte population in the SDH, characterized by the expression of hairy and enhancer of split 5 (Hes5), causes pain hypersensitivity. However, the mechanism by which Hes5⁺ astrocytes modulate synaptic transmission in the SDH remains unclear. In this study, using electrophysiological and cell type-specific functional manipulation approaches, we found that chemogenetic stimulation of Hes5⁺ SDH astrocytes enhanced Aδ and C fiber-mediated excitatory postsynaptic current

SUBMITTER: Kagiyama I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12036120 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature