Nature Communications (Feb 2023)
An analgesic pathway from parvocellular oxytocin neurons to the periaqueductal gray in rats
- Mai Iwasaki,
- Arthur Lefevre,
- Ferdinand Althammer,
- Etienne Clauss Creusot,
- Olga Łąpieś,
- Hugues Petitjean,
- Louis Hilfiger,
- Damien Kerspern,
- Meggane Melchior,
- Stephanie Küppers,
- Quirin Krabichler,
- Ryan Patwell,
- Alan Kania,
- Tim Gruber,
- Matthew K. Kirchner,
- Moritz Wimmer,
- Henning Fröhlich,
- Laura Dötsch,
- Jonas Schimmer,
- Sabine C. Herpertz,
- Beate Ditzen,
- Christian P. Schaaf,
- Kai Schönig,
- Dusan Bartsch,
- Anna Gugula,
- Aleksandra Trenk,
- Anna Blasiak,
- Javier E. Stern,
- Pascal Darbon,
- Valery Grinevich,
- Alexandre Charlet
Affiliations
- Mai Iwasaki
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Arthur Lefevre
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Ferdinand Althammer
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Etienne Clauss Creusot
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Olga Łąpieś
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Hugues Petitjean
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Louis Hilfiger
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Damien Kerspern
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Meggane Melchior
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Stephanie Küppers
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Quirin Krabichler
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Ryan Patwell
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Alan Kania
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Tim Gruber
- Van Andel Institute
- Matthew K. Kirchner
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University
- Moritz Wimmer
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg
- Henning Fröhlich
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg
- Laura Dötsch
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg
- Jonas Schimmer
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Sabine C. Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg
- Beate Ditzen
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Heidelberg University Hospital
- Christian P. Schaaf
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg
- Kai Schönig
- Department of Molecular Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Dusan Bartsch
- Department of Molecular Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Anna Gugula
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University
- Aleksandra Trenk
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University
- Anna Blasiak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University
- Javier E. Stern
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University
- Pascal Darbon
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- Valery Grinevich
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg
- Alexandre Charlet
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36641-7
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 20
Abstract
The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin exerts analgesic effects, but the underlying pathways remain largely elusive. Here, the authors describe an analgesic pathway formed by oxytocin neurons projecting to the periaqueductal grey, where axonally released oxytocin activates oxytocin-receptor expressing GABA neurons and subsequently reduces pain-like behaviors in both female and male rats.
