ArticleMolecular pain2022
Dopamine receptor D2, but not D1, mediates the reward circuit from the ventral tegmental area to the central amygdala, which is involved in pain relief.
Article in Molecular pain, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- DRD1 and DRD2 dopamine-sensitive neurons in the central amygdala respond differently to rewarding and aversive stimuli.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Neurobiology of Anxiety and Depression in CP/CPPS: A Narrative Review of Underlying Mechanisms.Neurology international · 2026Review
- Brain Amylin Signaling, Feeding, and Reward.Comprehensive Physiology · 2026Review
- The pPVTThe journal of headache and pain · 2026Article
- Transcriptomic signatures of the insular cortex in a mouse model of neuropathic pain.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2026Article
- Synaptic Plasticity of D1 and D2 Types of Neurons in the Central Amygdala After Sucrose and Cocaine Exposure.The European journal of neuroscience · 2025Article
- Inhibitory effects of dopamine agonists on pain-responsive neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala.Journal of neurophysiology · 2025Article
- Specific Activation of Dopamine Receptor D1 Expressing Neurons in the PrL Alleviates CSDS-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior Comorbidity with Postoperative Hyperalgesia in Male Mice.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Neurochemical crossroads: exploring the neurotransmitter network in chronic pain and depression comorbidity.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2025Review
- Amitriptyline-perphenazine therapy for persistent idiopathic facial pain: translational perspectives from a retrospective study.Journal of anesthesia, analgesia and critical care · 2024Article
- The Formation and Function of the VTA Dopamine System.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Ventral tegmental area dopaminergic circuits participates in stress-induced chronic postsurgical pain in male mice.BMC neuroscience · 2024Article
- Dopaminergic Projections from the Hypothalamic A11 Nucleus to the Spinal Trigeminal Nucleus Are Involved in Bidirectional Migraine Modulation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Converging circuits between pain and depression: the ventral tegmental area as a therapeutic hub.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
- Article
- Differential roles of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in pain modulation: a review.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Pain involves both sensory and affective dimensions. The amygdala is a key player in linking nociceptive stimuli to negative emotional behaviors or affective states. Relief of pain is rewarding and activates brain reward circuits. Whether the reward circuit from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the central amygdala (CeA) is involved in pain relief remains unexplored. Using a model of experimental postsurgical pain, we found that pain relief elicited conditioned place preference (CPP), activated CeA-projecting dopaminergic cells in the VTA, and decreased dopaminergic D2 receptor expression in the CeA. Activation of the VTA-CeA neural pathway using optogenetic approaches relieved incisional pain. Administration of a D2 receptor agonist reversed the pain relief elicited by light-induced activation of the VTA-CeA pathway. These findings indicate that the VTA-CeA circuit is involved in pain relief in mice via dopamine receptor D2 in the CeA.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.