In Vivo Interrogation of Spinal Mechanosensory Circuits.

ABSTRACT: Spinal dorsal horn circuits receive, process, and transmit somatosensory information. To understand how specific components of these circuits contribute to behavior, it is critical to be able to directly modulate their activity in unanesthetized in vivo conditions. Here, we develop experimental tools that enable optogenetic control of spinal circuitry in freely moving mice using commonly available materials. We use these tools to examine mechanosensory processing in the spinal cord and observe that optogenetic activation of somatostatin-positive interneurons facilitates both mechanosensory and itch-related behavior, while reversible chemogenetic inhibition of these neurons suppresses mechanosensation. These results extend recent findings regarding the processing of mechanosensory informati

SUBMITTER: Christensen AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5507199 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature