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Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays
Published on: February 9, 2022
Distinct circuits and molecular targets of the paraventricular hypothalamus decode visceral and somatic pain
Yong-Chang Li1, Fu-Chao Zhang2, Di Li2
1Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, P.R. China; Translational Medicine Center, The Affiliated Zhangjiagang Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Visceral and somatic pain serve as protective mechanisms against external threats. Accumulated evidence has confirmed that the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) plays an important role in the perception of visceral and somatic pain, whereas the exact neural pathways and molecules distinguishing them remain unclear. Here, we report distinct neuronal ensembles within the PVH dedicated to processing visceral and somatic pain signals. An essential discovery is the distinct expression of P2X3R and VIPR2 in visceral and somatic pain-activated PVH neuronal ensembles. Furthermore, visceral pain- and somatic pain-responsive PVH neuronal ensembles project to specific downstream regions, the ventral part of the lateral septal nucleus (LSV) and the caudal part of the zona incerta (ZIC), respectively. These findings unveil that the PVH acts as a pain sorting center that distinctly processes visceral and somatic pain, identifying potential molecular targets for specific pain processing and providing a new framework for comprehending how the brain processes nociceptive information.
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