Neuropathic Pain-Like Responses in a Chronic CNS Injury Model Are Mediated by Corticospinal-Targeted Spinal Interneurons.

ABSTRACT: Chronic neuropathic pain is a persistent and debilitating outcome of traumatic central nervous system injury, affecting up to 80% of individuals. Postinjury pain is refractory to treatments due to the limited understanding of the brain-spinal cord circuits that underlie pain signal processing. The corticospinal tract (CST) plays critical roles in sensory modulation during skilled movements and tactile sensation; however, a direct role for the CST in injury-associated neuropathic pain is unclear. Here we show that complete, selective CST transection at the medullary pyramids leads to hyperexcitability within lumbar deep dorsal horn and hindlimb allodynia-like behavior in chronically injured adult male and female mice. Chemogenetic regulation of CST-targeted lumbar spinal interneurons demons

SUBMITTER: Guan X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12268975 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature