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Cell type-specific calcium imaging of central sensitization in mouse dorsal horn. Nat Commun 2022 Sep 03;13(1):5199

Date

09/04/2022

Pubmed ID

36057681

Pubmed Central ID

PMC9440908

DOI

10.1038/s41467-022-32608-2

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85137168872 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   11 Citations

Abstract

Allodynia is a state in which pain is elicited by innocuous stimuli. Capsaicin applied to the skin results in an allodynia that extends to a broad region beyond the application site. This sensitization is thought to be mediated by spinal networks; however, we do not have a clear picture of which spinal neurons mediate this phenomenon. To address this gap, we used two-photon calcium imaging of excitatory interneurons and spinal projection neurons in the mouse spinal dorsal horn. To distinguish among neuronal subtypes, we developed CICADA, a cell profiling approach to identify cell types during calcium imaging. We then identified capsaicin-responsive and capsaicin-sensitized neuronal populations. Capsaicin-sensitized neurons showed emergent responses to innocuous input and increased receptive field sizes consistent with psychophysical reports. Finally, we identified spinal output neurons that showed enhanced responses from innocuous input. These experiments provide a population-level view of central sensitization and a framework with which to model somatosensory integration in the dorsal horn.

Author List

Warwick C, Salsovic J, Hachisuka J, Smith KM, Sheahan TD, Chen H, Ibinson J, Koerber HR, Ross SE

Author

Tayler D. Sheahan PhD Assistant Professor in the Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Calcium
Capsaicin
Central Nervous System Sensitization
Hyperalgesia
Mice
Posterior Horn Cells
Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn