Sex differences in pain perception and plasticitical role of descending inhibitory system

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24590727
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Pain science
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: TODA Kazuo 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(歯学系), 教授 (80134708)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KIMOTO Mari 日本女子大学, 家政学部, 准教授 (60101565)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 疼痛認知 / 性差 / 下行性鎮痛系 / 可塑性 / 帯状回 / ラット

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sex differences in pain perception is well known in animals and men. One of the mechanisms of these differences is presumed to be a plasticity of descending inhibition. We investigated changes of pain threshold and activities of anterior cingulate cortex (ACCX) after stress loading or acupuncture for activation of descending inhibition.The main results are as follows:1)Neuronal activities of ACCX were changed during menstrual cycle in female,however, no sequential changes were observed in male rats.2)There were no chronological changes of antinociceptive effects evoked by acupuncture in both sex.These results suggest that sex differences in pain "sensation" is not clear, but, those in emotional pain "perception" were strongly observed. Plasticity of descending inhibition is thought to be involved in these sex differences.

Free Research Field

神経生理学、感覚生理学