Reduced activity of GAD67 expressing cells in the reticular thalamus enhance thalamic excitatory activity and varicella zoster virus associated pain.

ABSTRACT: Within the reticular thalamic nucleus neurons express gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and these cells project to the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus. When GABA activity decreases the activity of excitatory cells in the ventral posteromedial nucleus would be expected to increase. In this study, we addressed the hypothesis that attenuating GABAergic cells in the reticular thalamic nucleus increases excitatory activity in the ventral posteromedial nucleus increasing varicella zoster virus (VZV) associated pain in the orofacial region. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) was infused in the reticular thalamic nucleus of Gad1-Cre rats. This virus transduced a G inhibitory designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) gene that was Cre dependent. A dose of estradiol that was p

SUBMITTER: Hornung R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7501271 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature