A study carried out on mice shows that the activation of neurons called CeAga, makes it possible to suppress pain in rodents.
- Scientists question the loc
- Scientists wonder about the location of the area that controls pain
- In rodent research, a subset of neurons in the amygdala have been identified as possibly being this core area
“Many people think there is a central area that helps relieve pain, explains Fan Wang, neurobiologist, that’s why placebos work.” The scientific community wonders about the location of this place. Professor Wang’s team may have found the answer. According to the results of their research, published in Nature Neuroscienceit could be the amygdala, an area of the brain linked to emotions, including fear and anxiety.
The role of the CeAga
“Most of the previous studies have focused on the regions that are activated by the pain, underlines the researcher. But there are so many areas responsible for the pain, that it would be necessary to inactivate them all to stop it. can delete it on his own.” To understand the role of the amygdala, Fan Wang and his team analyzed the effects of general anesthesia on neurons. They found that it activates a subset of inhibitory neurons located in the amygdala, called CeAga neurons. These are connected to several other areas of the brain. By artificially stimulating pain in mice, they were able to create a map of the areas connected to CeAga neurons.
Immediate action
“Pain is a complex cerebral response, specifies Fan Wang, it involves sensory, emotional processes and automatic responses of the nervous system.” Optogenetics, a technique that acts on neurons using light, enabled them to prevent these brain responses in mice. By activating the CeAga neurons, the mice notably stopped licking their paws or wiping their heads. “It’s radical, insists the researcher, they instantly stopped doing it!”
A new painkiller?
The researchers also found that these neurons were essential in the action of painkillers. Low-dose ketamine, used as a painkiller, stimulates them, conversely, if they are inactivated, its effectiveness is nil. Now, Fan Wang’s team wants to continue its investigations to develop a treatment capable of activating only ceAga neurons, and thus offer a new type of painkiller.
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