nNOS-expressing neurons in the vmPFC transform pPVT-derived chronic pain signals into anxiety behaviors

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 2501 - 18
• Main Authors: Liang, Hai-Ying, Chen, Zhi-Jin, Xiao, Hui, Lin, Yu-Hui, Hu, Ying-Yi, Chang, Lei, Wu, Hai-Yin, Wang, Peng, Lu, Wei, Zhu, Dong-Ya, Luo, Chun-Xia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 19.05.2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13/51; 13/89; 14/19; 14/32; 631/378; 64/110; 64/60; 692/699; 9/74; Activation; Animal models; Animals; Anxiety; Behavior, Animal; Chronic pain; Chronic Pain - enzymology; Chronic Pain - genetics; Chronic Pain - psychology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Midline Thalamic Nuclei - cytology; Midline Thalamic Nuclei - enzymology; Molecular modelling; multidisciplinary; Neurons; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - enzymology; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I - genetics; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I - metabolism; Pain; Prefrontal cortex; Prefrontal Cortex - cytology; Prefrontal Cortex - enzymology; Pyramidal cells; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Thalamus; α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptors

Anxiety is common in patients suffering from chronic pain. Here, we report anxiety-like behaviors in mouse models of chronic pain and reveal that nNOS-expressing neurons in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are essential for pain-induced anxiety but not algesia, using optogenetic and chemogenet...