Eliava Marina, Melchior Meggane, Knobloch-Bollmann H Sophie, Wahis Jérôme, da Silva Gouveia Miriam, Tang Yan, Ciobanu Alexandru Cristian, Triana Del Rio Rodrigo, Roth Lena C, Althammer Ferdinand, Chavant Virginie, Goumon Yannick, Gruber Tim, Petit-Demoulière Nathalie, Busnelli Marta, Chini Bice, Tan Linette L, Mitre Mariela, Froemke Robert C, Chao Moses V, Giese Günter, Sprengel Rolf, Kuner Rohini, Poisbeau Pierrick, Seeburg Peter H, Stoop Ron, Charlet Alexandre, Grinevich Valery
Schaller Research Group on Neuropeptides at German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Cell Network Cluster of Excellence at the University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg 69120, Germany.
Institut of Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences (INCI) UPR3212, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg 67084, France.
Neuron. 2016 Mar 16;89(6):1291-1304. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.01.041. Epub 2016 Mar 3.
Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide elaborated by the hypothalamic paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei. Magnocellular OT neurons of these nuclei innervate numerous forebrain regions and release OT into the blood from the posterior pituitary. The PVN also harbors parvocellular OT cells that project to the brainstem and spinal cord, but their function has not been directly assessed. Here, we identified a subset of approximately 30 parvocellular OT neurons, with collateral projections onto magnocellular OT neurons and neurons of deep layers of the spinal cord. Evoked OT release from these OT neurons suppresses nociception and promotes analgesia in an animal model of inflammatory pain. Our findings identify a new population of OT neurons that modulates nociception in a two tier process: (1) directly by release of OT from axons onto sensory spinal cord neurons and inhibiting their activity and (2) indirectly by stimulating OT release from SON neurons into the periphery.
催产素（OT）是一种由下丘脑室旁核（PVN）和视上核（SON）分泌的神经肽。这些核团中的大细胞OT神经元支配着众多前脑区域，并从垂体后叶将OT释放到血液中。室旁核还含有小细胞OT细胞，它们投射到脑干和脊髓，但其功能尚未得到直接评估。在这里，我们鉴定出了大约30个小细胞OT神经元的一个亚群，它们具有侧支投射到大脑大细胞OT神经元和脊髓深层神经元上。在炎症性疼痛的动物模型中，这些OT神经元诱发的OT释放可抑制伤害感受并促进镇痛作用。我们的研究结果确定了一个新的OT神经元群体，该群体在一个两级过程中调节伤害感受：（1）通过轴突直接将OT释放到脊髓感觉神经元上并抑制其活动；（2）通过刺激视上核神经元将OT释放到外周来间接调节。
