2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Morphological analysis of limbic modulation of descending pain inhibitory system
| Project/Area Number |
23790643
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Pain science
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| Research Institution | Shimane University |
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Principal Investigator |
OKA Tatsuro 島根大学, 医学部, 助教 (20508923)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2012
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| Keywords | 下行性疼痛抑制系 / 中心灰白質 / 辺縁系 / 視床下部 / 扁桃体 / 大縫線核 / 神経回路 / ラット |
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| Research Abstract |
To understand how limbic structures influence descending antinociceptive system, we examined whether hypothalamic and amygdaloid terminals make synaptic contact with rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM)-projecting neurons in the periaqueductal gray (PAG). As a result, prominent overlapping distribution of the ventromedial hypothalamic axons and RVM-projecting neurons was observed in the lateral/dorsomedial part of the PAG. Furthermore, electron microscopic observation revealed that ventromedial hypothalamic terminals made asymmetrical synaptic contactswith RVM-projecting PAG neurons. We further demonstrated that most of the RVM-projecting PAG neurons are positive for vesicular glutamate transporter 2 mRNA, suggesting that these neurons are glutamatergic.
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