Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40890079›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurochemistry2025

Splanchnic and Pelvic Spinal Afferent Pathways Relay Sensory Information From the Mouse Colorectum Into Distinct Brainstem Circuits.

QingQing Wang, Alice E McGovern, Melinda Kyloh, Grigori Rychkov, Nick J Spencer, Stuart B Mazzone, Stuart M Brierley, Andrea M Harrington

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurochemistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Gut-brain communication: types of sensory nerves and mechanisms of activation.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

QingQing WangVisceral Pain Research Group, Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Alice E McGovernDepartment of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Melinda KylohVisceral Neurophysiology Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Grigori RychkovSchool of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Nick J SpencerVisceral Neurophysiology Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Stuart B MazzoneDepartment of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Stuart M BrierleyVisceral Pain Research Group, Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Andrea M HarringtonVisceral Pain Research Group, Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1562-4137

Funding

Australian Research Council DP180101395National Health and Medical Research Council APP1156427National Health and Medical Research Council APP2008727
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The distal colon and rectum (colorectum) are innervated by two distinct spinal (splanchnic and pelvic) afferent nerve pathways. This study aimed to identify where the sensory information relayed by splanchnic and pelvic afferents integrates within the brainstem. Microinjection of transneuronal viral tracer (herpes simplex virus-1 H129 strain expressing EGFP, H129-EGFP) into the distal colon was used to assess the brainstem structures receiving ascending input from the colorectum. H129-EGFP+ cells were distributed in structures involved in ascending sensory relay, descending pain modulation, and autonomic regulation in the medulla from 96 h and in the pontine and caudal midbrain at 120 h after inoculation. In a separate cohort of mice, in vivo noxious colorectal distension (CRD) followed by brainstem immunolabeling for phosphorylated MAP kinase ERK 1/2 (pERK) determined neurons activated by CRD. Many of the structures containing H129-EGFP+ labeling also contained pERK-labeled neurons, indicating H129-EGFP+ labeling in colorectal signaling pathways. Surgical removal of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) containing the cell bodies of splanchnic colorectal afferent neurons significantly reduced CRD-evoked pERK neuronal activation within the caudal ventrolateral medulla, rostral ventromedial medulla, and the lateral parabrachial nuclei. Surgical removal of the DRG containing the cell bodies of pelvic colorectal afferent neurons significantly reduced CRD-evoked pERK neuronal activation within the rostral ventromedial medulla, lateral parabrachial nuclei, the locus coeruleus, Barrington's nucleus, and periaqueductal gray. Collectively, this study showed that the two spinal afferent pathways innervating the colorectum relay information into different brainstem structures and provide new insight into their unique roles in relaying information into the gut-brain axis controlling colorectal sensory-motor function.

Indexed as

Afferent PathwaysBrain StemColonPelvisRectumSpinal CordSplanchnic NervesAnimalsGanglia, SpinalMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLbrainstem and paindistal colonrectumspinal cordvisceral afferent

Identifiers

PMID40890079
PMCPMC12401814

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Registered trials

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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.