Periaqueductal gray/dorsal raphe dopamine neurons contribute to sex differences in pain-related behaviors

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 109; no. 8; pp. 1365 - 1380.e5
• Main Authors: Yu, Waylin, Pati, Dipanwita, Pina, Melanie M., Schmidt, Karl T., Boyt, Kristen M., Hunker, Avery C., Zweifel, Larry S., McElligott, Zoe A., Kash, Thomas L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 21.04.2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Animals; bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; Behavior; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Dopamine; Dopaminergic Neurons - physiology; dorsal raphe; Dorsal Raphe Nucleus - physiology; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials - physiology; Female; Females; Gender differences; Inflammation; Locomotion; Male; Males; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Motor Activity - physiology; Narcotics; Neurons; Pain; Pain - physiopathology; Pain Measurement; Pain perception; periaqueductal gray; Periaqueductal Gray - physiology; Periaqueductal gray area; Rodents; SABV; Sex Characteristics; Sex differences; Stria terminalis; pain; SABV; bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; dopamine; periaqueductal gray; dorsal raphe

Sex differences in pain severity, response, and pathological susceptibility are widely reported, but the neural mechanisms that contribute to these outcomes remain poorly understood. Here we show that dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray/dorsal raphe (vlPAG/DR) differential...