ArticleNature communications2025
Descending projection neurons in the primary sensorimotor cortex regulate neuropathic pain and locomotion in mice.
Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Therapeutic effects of Tetramethylpyrazine on Cartilage in Rat Model of Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis.Regenerative therapy · 2026Article
- Mechanisms and Clinical Application Progress of Exercise in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- A GABAergic Projection from the Zona Incerta to the Rostral Ventromedial Medulla Modulates Descending Control of Neuropathic Pain.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- A GABAergic pathway from dorsal raphe nucleus to paraventricular thalamic nucleus modulates incision-related pain behaviour in mice.Brain communications · 2026Article
- Neural mechanisms underlying the effects of visual input on static balance in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Dual Role of the Spinal Endocannabinoid System in Response to Noxious Stimuli: Antinociceptive Pathways and Neuropathic Pain Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Red Nucleus Excitatory Neurons Initiate Directional Motor Movement in Mice.Biomedicines · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Cortical descending modulation of sensory processing in the spinal cord has been revealed, the role of cortico-brainstem projections in sensory and motor regulation remains poorly investigated. Here, we identified two previously unappreciated subpopulations in the primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1), which are anatomically and electrophysiologically distinct but functionally similar, projecting to the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and rostroventral medulla (RVM), respectively. Postsynaptic PAG glutamatergic neurons then project to the noradrenergic (NA) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) and 5-HT neurons in the RVM to drive spinal NA and 5-HT anti-nociception, while RVM enkephalinergic neurons that receive SM1 projections directly drive spinal opioid analgesia. Intriguingly, silencing these two SM1 subpopulations impair motor behaviors and motor-induced analgesia, but does not affect behavioral responses to cutaneous sensory stimuli. Our findings indicate that these brainstem-projecting SM1 subpopulations are crucial for cortical descending pain modulation, which could be exploited to optimize pain relief approaches.
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