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(NAS Colloquium) The Neurobiology of Pain (1999) / Chapter Skim
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A Visceral Pain Pathway in the Dorsal Column of the Spinal Cord
Pages 7675-7679

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From page 7675...
... Blockade of transmission of visceral nociceptive signals through the rat sacral cord by microdialysis administration of morphine or 6-cyano-7nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione shows that postsynaptic DC neurons in the sacral cord transmit visceral nociceptive signals to the gracile nucleus. Retrograde tracing studies in rats demonstrate a concentration of postsynaptic DC neurons in the central gray matter of the L6-S1 spinal segments, and anterograde tracing studies show that labeled axons ascend from this region to the gracile nucleus.
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From page 7676...
... A 100 80 60 40 20 o _. Q B 100 o 80 1 40 ~ ~ BRUSH Row PRESS _ PINCH 20 mm Hg F1 40 mm Hg ~ 60 mm Hg _ 80 mm Hg DC Lesion FIG.
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From page 7677...
... Unpublished studies have shown that retrograde label microinjected into the medial aspect of the gracile nucleus also labels a large population of postsynaptic DC neurons in the region of the central gray at sacral levels. Injection of an anterograde tracer, biotin dextran, into the central gray region of the sacral cord labeled axonal projections from this region that ascend in the fasciculus gracilis near the midline and have terminal arbors in the medial part of the gracile nucleus (5)
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From page 7678...
... 5. Behavioral Evidence for a DC Visceral Pain Pathway To determine whether the DC helps mediate pain originating in abdominal viscera, experiments were done in awake, behaving rats on the effects of a DC lesion on the behavioral responses to pancreatitis and noxious chemical stimulation of the pancreas and to duodenal distention.
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From page 7679...
... Blood volume changes were not reduced after sham surgery, but they were essentially completely eliminated after the DC lesion. The effects of the DC lesion persisted for at least 4 months (Fig.
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Key Terms

  • blood volume
  • central gray
  • gracile nucleus
  • visceral nociceptive
  • midline myelotomy

  • vpl neurons
  • limited midline
  • central canal
  • gray region
  • sacral cord

  • dorsal intermediate
  • intermediate septum
  • dorsal column
  • regional blood
  • cerebral blood

  • colorectal distention
  • sacral spinal
  • functional mri
  • duodenal distention
  • axons arising

  • cancer pain
  • volume changes
  • microdialysis administration
  • brain structures
  • nociceptive signals

  • ventral posterolateral
  • pain pathway
  • visceral pain
  • noxious stimulation
  • cervical level


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