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Intracranial Pharmacotherapy and Pain Assays in Rodents
Published on: April 9, 2019
Medial prefrontal cortex in chronic pain: Integrating circuit, epigenetics, and molecular insights
Zhaoxia Xiang1, Qilin Wu1, Xufeng Xu1
1Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis and Prevention of Brain Diseases and State Key Disciplines: Physiology, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
Abstract:
Chronic pain is a refractory and debilitating condition that remains challenging for definitive treatment. Although pharmacological interventions can provide symptomatic relief, the condition often severely compromises patients' quality of life and functional capacity. The initiation and maintenance of chronic pain are closely associated with functional and structural alterations across multiple brain regions. Emerging evidence highlights a pivotal role for the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in chronic pain regulation, in addition to its well-known functions in cognition and emotion. In this review, we will comprehensively discuss the involvement of the mPFC in chronic pain pathogenesis, with a focus on recent advances in the underlying mechanisms including neural circuitry, epigenetic regulation, neurotransmitter, neuropeptides and autophagy in chronic pain. We also reviewed the therapeutic strategies and translational prospects targeting mPFC for the treatment of chronic pain. This review will provide theoretical perspectives and research directions for chronic pain.
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