Revealing a novel nociceptive network that links the subthalamic nucleus to pain processing
- INSERM, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, France
- University Grenoble Alpes, France
- University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Abstract
Pain is a prevalent symptom of Parkinson's disease, and is effectively treated by deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). However, the link between pain and the STN remains unclear. In the present work, we report that STN neurons exhibit complex tonic and phasic responses to noxious stimuli using in vivo electrophysiology in rats. We also show that nociception is altered following lesions of the STN, and characterize the role of the superior colliculus and the parabrachial nucleus in the transmission of nociceptive information to the STN, physiologically from both structures and anatomically in the case of the parabrachial nucleus. We show that STN nociceptive responses are abnormal in a rat model of PD, suggesting their dependence on the integrity of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. The STN-linked nociceptive network we reveal is likely to be of considerable clinical importance in neurological diseases involving a dysfunction of the basal ganglia.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files. Matlab scripts used to analyse the data are freely available on the ImaGIN platform website (https://f-tract.eu/software/imagin/).
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
- Veronique Coizet
ADR Région Rhône Alpes
- Veronique Coizet
UGA AGIR-POLE
- Veronique Coizet
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Ethics
Animal experimentation: In accordance with the policy of Lyon1 University, the Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences (GIN) and the French legislation, experiments were done in compliance with the European Community Council Directive of November 24, 1986 (86/609/EEC). The research was authorized by the Direction Départementale des Services Vétérinaires de l'Isère - Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche, France (Coizet Véronique, PhD, permit number 381003). Every effort was made to minimize the number of animals used and their suffering during the experimental procedure. All procedures were reviewed and validated by the ""Comité éthique du GIN no 004"" agreed by the research ministry (permits number 309 and 310).
Copyright
© 2018, Pautrat et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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