Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nociception01:44

Nociception

Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain. Thus, pain helps the...
Analgesia and Pain Management01:25

Analgesia and Pain Management

Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...
Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action01:26

Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action

Neurochemical transmission, the conduction of electrical impulses between neurons mediated by neurotransmitters, plays a vital role in various physiological processes. Autonomic drugs exert their effects by modulating neurotransmission within the autonomic nervous system. For instance, drugs such as hemicholinium block the precursor uptake necessary for synthesizing acetylcholine, an essential autonomic neurotransmitter. Following synthesis, neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles. Metyrosine...
Pain01:20

Pain

Pain serves as a critical warning signal that alerts the body to potential or actual harm. When mechanical pressure on the skin is intense, such as from a sharp pinch, the sensation transitions from touch to pain. Similarly, extreme temperatures, like a hot pot handle, convert the sensation of heat into pain. Pain can also result from overstimulation of other senses, such as blinding light, loud noise, or the intense heat from habañero peppers. This ability to sense pain is essential for...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers01:24

Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers

Local anesthetics (LAs) block the sodium channels of nerve trunks, sensory nerve endings, and neuromuscular junctions. Although LAs can block all kinds of nerves, the sensitivity of nerve fibers differs according to nerve types and structures. LAs are known to block myelinated fibers faster than unmyelinated ones. Also, they block pain or sensory neurons at low concentrations without affecting the motor neurons involved in muscle contractions. This helps relieve labor pain without affecting the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Astrocytes mediate the pro-cognitive value of α7nAChRs and of α7nAChR-targeting therapeutics.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Adenosine deficiency facilitates CA1 synaptic hyperexcitability in the presymptomatic phase of a knockin mouse model of Alzheimer disease.

iScience·2025
Same author

Astrocytic metabolic control of orexinergic activity in the lateral hypothalamus regulates sleep and wake architecture.

Nature communications·2024
Same author

Adenosine deficiency facilitates CA1 synaptic hyperexcitability in the presymptomatic phase of a knock in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

Erratum: Correction Notice: Obtaining Acute Brain Slices.

Bio-protocol·2024
Same author

3D bioengineered neural tissue generated from patient-derived iPSCs mimics time-dependent phenotypes and transcriptional features of Alzheimer's disease.

Molecular psychiatry·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

In Vivo SiRNA Transfection and Gene Knockdown in Spinal Cord via Rapid Noninvasive Lumbar Intrathecal Injections in Mice
05:24

In Vivo SiRNA Transfection and Gene Knockdown in Spinal Cord via Rapid Noninvasive Lumbar Intrathecal Injections in Mice

Published on: March 22, 2014

Gliotransmission modulates baseline mechanical nociception.

Jeannine C Foley1, Sally R McIver, Philip G Haydon

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.

Molecular Pain
|December 6, 2011
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals that astrocyte gliotransmission is crucial for normal mechanical pain sensation. Attenuating this process in mice reduced their sensitivity to baseline pain, highlighting astrocytes

More Related Videos

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
07:09

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice

Published on: July 16, 2014

Optimizing Photoneuromodulation Techniques to Evaluate the Role of Green Light-Emitting Diodes in Pain Management
09:03

Optimizing Photoneuromodulation Techniques to Evaluate the Role of Green Light-Emitting Diodes in Pain Management

Published on: March 28, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 27, 2026

In Vivo SiRNA Transfection and Gene Knockdown in Spinal Cord via Rapid Noninvasive Lumbar Intrathecal Injections in Mice
05:24

In Vivo SiRNA Transfection and Gene Knockdown in Spinal Cord via Rapid Noninvasive Lumbar Intrathecal Injections in Mice

Published on: March 22, 2014

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
07:09

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice

Published on: July 16, 2014

Optimizing Photoneuromodulation Techniques to Evaluate the Role of Green Light-Emitting Diodes in Pain Management
09:03

Optimizing Photoneuromodulation Techniques to Evaluate the Role of Green Light-Emitting Diodes in Pain Management

Published on: March 28, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pain Research
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Pain is a protective mechanism, but pathological pain beyond injury is poorly understood.
  • Reactive astrocytes and their released gliotransmitters (e.g., D-serine, glutamate, ATP) are implicated in neuropathic pain.
  • The source of spinal cord adenosine, which has anti-nociceptive effects, remains unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of astrocytes in baseline nociception and neuropathic pain development.
  • To examine gliotransmission's contribution to pain using a transgenic mouse model (dnSNARE mice) with attenuated SNARE-mediated gliotransmission.
  • To identify the source of endogenous adenosine in the spinal cord.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a transgenic dnSNARE mouse model with selectively attenuated SNARE-mediated gliotransmission.
  • Assessed astrocyte-specific transgene expression and glial markers (GFAP, Iba1) via immunostaining.
  • Employed the Von Frey filament test to measure mechanical pain thresholds and allodynia in baseline and post-nerve injury conditions.

Main Results:

  • dnSNARE mice showed significantly reduced mechanical pain thresholds under baseline conditions compared to wild-type mice.
  • No significant differences in GFAP or Iba1 expression were observed between dnSNARE and wild-type mice.
  • Mechanical pain thresholds following spared nerve injury were comparable between dnSNARE and wild-type mice.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides the first evidence that astrocyte gliotransmission contributes to basal mechanical nociception.
  • Gliotransmission plays a role in normal pain sensation, distinct from its role in neuropathic pain development.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanisms and therapeutic potential of targeting astrocyte gliotransmission in pain management.