Dissecting the Neural Circuitry for Pain Modulation and Chronic Pain: Insights from Optogenetics.
10.1007/s12264-022-00835-8
- Author:
Fang GUO
1
;
Yu DU
1
;
Feng-Hui QU
1
;
Shi-Da LIN
1
;
Zhong CHEN
2
;
Shi-Hong ZHANG
3
Author Information
1. Department of Pharmacology and Department of Anesthesiology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
2. Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China. chenzhong@zju.edu.cn.
3. Department of Pharmacology and Department of Anesthesiology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China. shzhang713@zju.edu.cn.
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Chronic pain;
Neural circuits;
Optogenetics;
Pain modulation;
Pain transmission
- MeSH:
Brain;
Chronic Pain;
Humans;
Neurons;
Optogenetics;
Spinal Cord
- From:
Neuroscience Bulletin
2022;38(4):440-452
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage. The processing of pain involves complicated modulation at the levels of the periphery, spinal cord, and brain. The pathogenesis of chronic pain is still not fully understood, which makes the clinical treatment challenging. Optogenetics, which combines optical and genetic technologies, can precisely intervene in the activity of specific groups of neurons and elements of the related circuits. Taking advantage of optogenetics, researchers have achieved a body of new findings that shed light on the cellular and circuit mechanisms of pain transmission, pain modulation, and chronic pain both in the periphery and the central nervous system. In this review, we summarize recent findings in pain research using optogenetic approaches and discuss their significance in understanding the pathogenesis of chronic pain.
