Ketamine reduces aversion in rodent pain models by suppressing hyperactivity of the anterior cingulate cortex

Haocheng Zhou, Qiaosheng Zhang, Erik Martinez, Jahrane Dale, Sile Hu, Eric Zhang, Kevin Liu, Dong Huang, Guang Yang, Zhe Chen and Jing Wang ()
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Haocheng Zhou: Central South University
Qiaosheng Zhang: New York University School of Medicine
Erik Martinez: New York University School of Medicine
Jahrane Dale: New York University School of Medicine
Sile Hu: New York University School of Medicine
Eric Zhang: New York University School of Medicine
Kevin Liu: New York University School of Medicine
Dong Huang: Central South University
Guang Yang: New York University School of Medicine
Zhe Chen: New York University School of Medicine
Jing Wang: New York University School of Medicine

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Chronic pain is known to induce an amplified aversive reaction to peripheral nociceptive inputs. This enhanced affective response constitutes a key pathologic feature of chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia. However, the neural mechanisms that underlie this important aspect of pain processing remain poorly understood, hindering the development of treatments. Here, we show that a single dose of ketamine can produce a persistent reduction in the aversive response to noxious stimuli in rodent chronic pain models, long after the termination of its anti-nociceptive effects. Furthermore, we demonstrated that this anti-aversive property is mediated by prolonged suppression of the hyperactivity of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain region well known to regulate pain affect. Therefore, our results indicate that it is feasible to dissociate the affective from the sensory component of pain, and demonstrate the potential for low-dose ketamine to be an important therapy for chronic pain syndromes.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06295-x

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