Beneficial Effects of Ginger Root Extract on Pain Behaviors, Inflammation, and Mitochondrial Function in the Colon and Different Brain Regions of Male and Female Neuropathic Rats: A Gut-Brain Axis Study.

Background: Neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in the progression of neuropathic pain (NP) but can be mitigated by supplementation with gingerol-enriched ginger (GEG). However, the exact benefits of GEG for each sex in treating neuroinflammation and mitochondrial homeostasis in different brain regions and the colon remain to be determined.

Objective: Evaluate the effects of GEG on emotional/affective pain and spontaneous pain behaviors, neuroinflammation, as well as mitochondria homeostasis in the amygdala, frontal cortex, hippocampus, and colon of male and female rats in the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) NP model.

Chemogenetic Manipulation of Amygdala Kappa Opioid Receptor Neurons Modulates Amygdala Neuronal Activity and Neuropathic Pain Behaviors.

Neuroplasticity in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) plays a key role in the modulation of pain and its aversive component. The dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system in the amygdala is critical for averse-affective behaviors in pain conditions, but its mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we used chemogenetic manipulations of amygdala KOR-expressing neurons to analyze the behavioral consequences in a chronic neuropathic pain model.

Impaired amygdala astrocytic signaling worsens neuropathic pain-associated neuronal functions and behaviors.

Pain is a clinically relevant health care issue with limited therapeutic options, creating the need for new and improved analgesic strategies. The amygdala is a limbic brain region critically involved in the regulation of emotional-affective components of pain and in pain modulation. The central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) serves major output functions and receives nociceptive information via the external lateral parabrachial nucleus (PB).

Mechanisms of pain in aging and age-related conditions: Focus on caregivers.

Pain is a complex, subjective experience that can significantly impact quality of life, particularly in aging individuals, by adversely affecting physical and emotional well-being. Whereas acute pain usually serves a protective function, chronic pain is a persistent pathological condition that contributes to functional deficits, cognitive decline, and emotional disturbances in the elderly. Despite substantial progress that has been made in characterizing age-related changes in pain, complete mechanistic details of pain processing mechanisms in the aging patient remain unknown.

Hmgb1 Silencing in the Amygdala Inhibits Pain-Related Behaviors in a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain.

Chronic pain presents a therapeutic challenge due to the highly complex interplay of sensory, emotional-affective and cognitive factors. The mechanisms of the transition from acute to chronic pain are not well understood. We hypothesized that neuroimmune mechanisms in the amygdala, a brain region involved in the emotional-affective component of pain and pain modulation, play an important role through high motility group box 1 (Hmgb1), a pro-inflammatory molecule that has been linked to neuroimmune signaling in spinal nociception.

Pain-related cortico-limbic plasticity and opioid signaling.

Neuroplasticity in cortico-limbic circuits has been implicated in pain persistence and pain modulation in clinical and preclinical studies. The amygdala has emerged as a key player in the emotional-affective dimension of pain and pain modulation. Reciprocal interactions with medial prefrontal cortical regions undergo changes in pain conditions.

Sex Differences in Comorbidities of Pediatric Craniosynostosis at Presentation.

Introduction: Craniosynostosis is a common pediatric presentation in which the premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures results in a misshapen skull. This birth defect is often associated with comorbidities due to structural impacts on nearby anatomical features. While there is some evidence for a male predominance among craniosynostosis patients, little has been investigated regarding sex differences in comorbidities of this condition.

Recent Advances in the Modulation of Pain by the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR or mGlu) are G-protein coupled receptors activated by the binding of glutamate, the main classical neurotransmitter of the nervous system. Eight different mGluR subtypes (mGluR1-8) have been cloned and are classified in three groups based on their molecular, pharmacological and signaling properties. mGluRs mediate several physiological functions such as neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity, but they have also been implicated in numerous pathological conditions including pain.

Sex Differences in CGRP Regulation and Function in the Amygdala in a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain.

The amygdala has emerged as a key player in the emotional response to pain and pain modulation. The lateral and capsular regions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) represent the "nociceptive amygdala" due to their high content of neurons that process pain-related information. These CeA divisions are the targets of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway, which is the predominant source of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) within the amygdala.

Kappa Opioid Receptor Blockade in the Amygdala Mitigates Pain Like-Behaviors by Inhibiting Corticotropin Releasing Factor Neurons in a Rat Model of Functional Pain.

Functional pain syndromes (FPS) occur in the absence of identifiable tissue injury or noxious events and include conditions such as migraine, fibromyalgia, and others. Stressors are very common triggers of pain attacks in various FPS conditions. It has been recently demonstrated that kappa opioid receptors (KOR) in the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) contribute to FPS conditions, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Sex differences in pain along the neuraxis.

Despite the overwhelming female-predominance in chronic pain disorders, preclinical pain studies have historically excluded females as research subjects. Male-biased explanations of pathological pain mechanisms may not fully translate to pain processes in females, necessitating the exploration of pain processing and modulation in both sexes at the preclinical and clinical levels. This review highlights historical trends in the study of sex differences within the pain field and examines the current literature regarding new techniques for the mechanistic analysis of pain modulation in males and females.

Fear Extinction-Based Inter-Individual and Sex Differences in Pain-Related Vocalizations and Anxiety-like Behaviors but Not Nocifensive Reflexes.

Inter-individual and sex differences in pain responses are recognized but their mechanisms are not well understood. This study was intended to provide the behavioral framework for analyses of pain mechanisms using fear extinction learning as a predictor of phenotypic and sex differences in sensory (mechanical withdrawal thresholds) and emotional-affective aspects (open field tests for anxiety-like behaviors and audible and ultrasonic components of vocalizations) of acute and chronic pain. In acute arthritis and chronic neuropathic pain models, greater increases in vocalizations were found in females than males and in females with poor fear extinction abilities than females with strong fear extinction, particularly in the neuropathic pain model.

Association between Foramen Size and Febrile Seizure Status in the Pediatric Population: A Two-Center Retrospective Analysis.

 Febrile seizures have been shown to occur in 2 to 5% of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, making them the most common seizures of childhood. Multiple risk factors for febrile seizures have been identified; however, no investigation has been conducted to explore foramen size and associated venous drainage as a potential risk factor for experiencing febrile seizures. Of particular interest are the parietal foramen and the condylar canal, which conduct the parietal emissary vein and the occipital emissary vein, respectively.

Child Abuse and Deformational Plagiocephaly in a West Texas Hospital System.

 The aim of this study was to assess deformational plagiocephaly's (DP) predictive value in neglect and physical abuse (nonaccidental trauma [NAT]) within the pediatric population. In addition, we sought to characterize the prevalence of DP and NAT for our hospital's mostly rural catchment area.  Data on hospitalized patients diagnosed with NAT and/or neglect between 2012 and 2018 were collected via retrospective chart review.

Fear extinction learning ability predicts neuropathic pain behaviors and amygdala activity in male rats.

Background The amygdala plays a key role in fear learning and extinction and has emerged as an important node of emotional-affective aspects of pain and pain modulation. Impaired fear extinction learning, which involves prefrontal cortical control of amygdala processing, has been linked to neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we tested the hypothesis that fear extinction learning ability can predict the magnitude of neuropathic pain.