Chemogenetic silencing of GABAergic dorsal horn interneurons induces morphine-resistant spontaneous nocifensive behaviours.

ABSTRACT: Inhibitory interneurons in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) are crucial for processing somatosensory information originating in the periphery. However, the effects of the acute and selective inactivation of GABAergic SDH interneurons on pain processing are not fully understood. In this study, we used designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) technology and vesicular GABA transporter-Cre (Vgat-Cre) mice to selectively express a modified human muscarinic Gi protein-coupled receptor (hM4Di) in Vgat-Cre ⁺ GABAergic SDH interneurons in the fourth lumbar segment. We found that clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) treatment rapidly hyperpolarized these neurons and induced spontaneous nocifensive behaviours in these mice. In Vgat-Cre ^neg lamina II neurons, CNO produc

SUBMITTER: Koga K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5498492 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature