Biomaterial Database

Projections from the Rostral Zona Incerta to the Thalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Mediate Nociceptive Neurotransmission in Mice. 2023

Feng-Ling Wu, and Si-Hai Chen, and Jia-Ni Li, and Liu-Jie Zhao, and Xue-Mei Wu, and Jie Hong, and Ke-Hua Zhu, and Han-Xue Sun, and Su-Juan Shi, and E Mao, and Wei-Dong Zang, and Jing Cao, and Zhen-Zhen Kou, and Yun-Qing Li

Department of Human Anatomy, College of Preclinical Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.

Zona incerta (ZI) is an integrative subthalamic region in nociceptive neurotransmission. Previous studies demonstrated that the rostral ZI (ZIR) is an important gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) source to the thalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVT), but whether the ZIR-PVT pathway participates in nociceptive modulation is still unclear. Therefore, our investigation utilized anatomical tracing, fiber photometry, chemogenetic, optogenetic and local pharmacological approaches to investigate the roles of the ZIRGABA+-PVT pathway in nociceptive neurotransmission in mice. We found that projections from the GABAergic neurons in ZIR to PVT were involved in nociceptive neurotransmission. Furthermore, chemogenetic and optogenetic activation of the ZIRGABA+-PVT pathway alleviates pain, whereas inhibiting the activities of the ZIRGABA+-PVT circuit induces mechanical hypersensitivity and partial heat hyperalgesia. Importantly, in vivo pharmacology combined with optogenetics revealed that the GABA-A receptor (GABAAR) is crucial for GABAergic inhibition from ZIR to PVT. Our data suggest that the ZIRGABA+-PVT pathway acts through GABAAR-expressing glutamatergic neurons in PVT mediates nociceptive neurotransmission.