During a PRF webinar on August 13, 2019, Andrew Todd discussed the role of excitatory interneurons in dorsal horn pain circuitry. After his talk, there was a Q&A period moderated by Wenqin Luo.
- Andrew Todd, MBBS, PhD, University of Glasgow, UK
- Wenqin Luo, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US
Listen to the webinar
***PAIN articles about spinal cord pain processing co-authored by webinar speaker Andrew Todd are being made freely available by the journal for a limited time. These articles can be accessed here.***
Here is an abstract of Todd’s talk:
The spinal dorsal horn is the site of the first synapse in pain pathways, but despite its importance we still know relatively little about the organization of dorsal horn neurons, or how these are arranged into circuits that process sensory information. The main ascending pain pathway is the anterolateral tract (ALT), which transmits information to several brain regions. However, ALT cells account for only a small minority of dorsal horn neurons. The great majority are interneurons, which take part in local circuits. These can be divided into two broad groups: excitatory and inhibitory interneurons. The excitatory cells, which make up about 75 percent of the neurons in the superficial dorsal horn, are morphologically and physiologically heterogeneous. Recent studies have shown that they can be assigned to largely non-overlapping populations based on the expression of different neurochemical markers. The availability of molecular-genetic tools means that we can now target specific interneuron populations to investigate their engagement in dorsal horn circuits and their roles in pain mechanisms. This will lead to greatly improved understanding of the spinal processing that underlies both acute and pathological pain, and is likely to reveal new treatments for chronic pain states.
Want some background reading? See the recent papers under Related Content in the right column of this page. And join the conversation about the webinar on Twitter @PainResForum #PRFWebinar.
See previous PRF webinars here.