Corticotropin-releasing factor neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis exhibit sex-specific pain encoding in mice.

ABSTRACT: The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) plays an emerging role in pain regulation. Pharmacological studies have found that inhibiting corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling in the BNST can selectively mitigate the sensory and affective-motivational components of pain. However, mechanistic insight on the source of CRF that drives BNST responses to these harmful experiences remains unknown. In the present study, we used a series of genetic approaches to show that CRF in the BNST is engaged in the processing and modulation of pain. We conducted cell-type specific in vivo calcium imaging in CRF-Cre mice and found robust and synchronized recruitment of BNST^CRF neurons during acute exposures to noxious heat. Distinct patterns of recruitment were observed by sex, as the

SUBMITTER: Yu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8203647 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature