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Coregulation of sleep-pain physiological interplay by orexin system: An unprecedented review

S Mohammad Ahmadi-Soleimani1, Vajiheh Mianbandi2, Hossein Azizi3

  • 1Deparment of Physiology, School of Paramedical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran; Neuroscience Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.

Behavioural Brain Research
|May 27, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The endogenous orexin system critically regulates both pain and wakefulness. This study explores shared mechanisms and how orexin imbalance disrupts sleep-pain processing.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sleep Research
  • Pain Management

Background:

  • The endogenous orexin system modulates diverse physiological functions, including pain and wakefulness.
  • Orexins are known to induce potent analgesic effects through specific brain receptors.
  • Orexinergic neurons also enhance general wakefulness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize evidence supporting the orexin system's role in sleep-pain coregulation.
  • To propose shared mechanisms underlying orexin's control over sleep and pain.
  • To elucidate how orexin system imbalance leads to sleep-pain processing dysregulation.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and evidence synthesis.
  • Analysis of shared neuroanatomical pathways.
  • Mechanistic hypothesis generation.

Main Results:

  • Brain regions involved in orexin-mediated analgesia overlap with those mediating wakefulness.
  • Shared neural circuits likely facilitate orexin's dual role in pain and sleep.
  • Imbalances in orexinergic signaling disrupt the integrated processing of sleep and pain.

Conclusions:

  • The orexin system is a key regulator of the sleep-pain axis.
  • Shared neurobiological mechanisms link orexin's effects on sleep and pain.
  • Dysfunctional orexinergic transmission contributes to sleep and pain disorders.
Keywords:
AnalgesiaArousalNociceptionOrexinSleep-wake cycleStress

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