Elucidation of the causes of masticatory muscle pain disorders through the inhibitory system and synaptic pruning

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19274
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57070:Developmental dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Furukawa Minami 鹿児島大学, 医歯学総合研究科, 客員研究員 (00806474)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 幼少期ストレス / GABAスイッチ / KCC2 / NKCC1 / シナプス / 筋異常疼痛

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In recent years, it is reported that child neglect and abuse are involved in the onset of mental disorders, developmental disorders, abnormal muscle pain, etc. However, the detailed mechanism and cause are unknown.We have discovered that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) acts excitatory in order to form normal neural circuits during the newborn period, and that it is necessary to change its function to inhibitory at a certain timing.
Therefore, we conducted mother-infant separation, which is a form of childhood stress, on mice in a child abandonment model.We decided to investigate whether mother-infant separation changes the timing of the GABA switch. We also investigated whether mother-infant separation changes the expression of KCC2 and NKCC1 and whether it affects synaptic pruning.The results showed that mother-infant separation delays the GABA switch and decreases KCC2 expression around the cell body, but NKCC1 expression around the cell body is not affected by mother-infant separation.

Free Research Field

歯科矯正学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

精神疾患や発達性障害、筋異常疼痛などの発症の予防、改善に、KCC2 や GABA スイッチを介した、抑制系の成熟を標的とした新たな治療法の確立が期待される。