Dynamic balance of metabotropic inputs causes dorsal horn neurons to switch functional states.
Nat Neurosci. 2003-02-18; 6(3): 274-281
DOI: 10.1038/nn1016
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1. Nat Neurosci. 2003 Mar;6(3):274-81.
Dynamic balance of metabotropic inputs causes dorsal horn neurons to switch
functional states.
Derjean D(1), Bertrand S, Le Masson G, Landry M, Morisset V, Nagy F.
Author information:
(1)INSERM E0358, Physiopathologie des Réseaux Neuronaux Médullaires, Institut
François Magendie, Université Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France.
Comment in
Nat Neurosci. 2003 Mar;6(3):210-2.
Sensory relay structures in the spinal cord dorsal horn are now thought to be
active processing structures that function before supraspinal sensory
integration. Dorsal horn neurons directly receive nociceptive (pain) signals from
the periphery, express a high degree of functional plasticity and are involved in
long-term sensitization and chronic pain. We show here that deep dorsal horn
neurons (DHNs) in Wistar rats can switch their intrinsic firing properties from
tonic to plateau or endogenous bursting patterns, depending upon the balance of
control by metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) and GABA(B) receptors. We further show
that this modulation acts on at least one common target, the inwardly rectifying
potassium channel (Kir3). Finally, we found that these firing modes correspond to
specific functional states of information transfer in which dorsal horn neurons
can faithfully transmit, greatly enhance or block the transfer of nociceptive
information.
DOI: 10.1038/nn1016
PMID: 12592405 [Indexed for MEDLINE]