Synchronized activity of sensory neurons initiates cortical synchrony in a model of neuropathic pain

Chao Chen, Linlin Sun, Avital Adler, Hang Zhou, Licheng Zhang, Lihai Zhang, Junhao Deng, Yang Bai, Jinhui Zhang, Guang Yang (), Wen-Biao Gan () and Peifu Tang ()
Additional contact information
Chao Chen: Peking 301 Hospital
Linlin Sun: Columbia University Medical Center
Avital Adler: New York University School of Medicine
Hang Zhou: Columbia University Medical Center
Licheng Zhang: Peking 301 Hospital
Lihai Zhang: Peking 301 Hospital
Junhao Deng: Peking 301 Hospital
Yang Bai: Shenzhen Bay Laboratory
Jinhui Zhang: the Affiliated Southeast Hospital of Xiamen University
Guang Yang: Columbia University Medical Center
Wen-Biao Gan: Shenzhen Bay Laboratory
Peifu Tang: Peking 301 Hospital

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Increased low frequency cortical oscillations are observed in people with neuropathic pain, but the cause of such elevated cortical oscillations and their impact on pain development remain unclear. By imaging neuronal activity in a spared nerve injury (SNI) mouse model of neuropathic pain, we show that neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and somatosensory cortex (S1) exhibit synchronized activity after peripheral nerve injury. Notably, synchronized activity of DRG neurons occurs within hours after injury and 1-2 days before increased cortical oscillations. This DRG synchrony is initiated by axotomized neurons and mediated by local purinergic signaling at the site of nerve injury. We further show that synchronized DRG activity after SNI is responsible for increasing low frequency cortical oscillations and synaptic remodeling in S1, as well as for inducing animals’ pain-like behaviors. In naive mice, enhancing the synchrony, not the level, of DRG neuronal activity causes synaptic changes in S1 and pain-like behaviors similar to SNI mice. Taken together, these results reveal the critical role of synchronized DRG neuronal activity in increasing cortical plasticity and oscillations in a neuropathic pain model. These findings also suggest the potential importance of detection and suppression of elevated cortical oscillations in neuropathic pain states.

Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36093-z Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-36093-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36093-z

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().