Journal
REVIEWS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES
Volume 32, Issue 5, Pages 545-558Publisher
WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH
DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2020-0121
Keywords
cannabinoids; GABAergic neurons; glutamate receptors; 5-HT; neuropeptides; RVM
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Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31872773, 32070998]
- Primary Research & Development Plan of Jiangsu Province [BE2020667]
- 333 High-level Talents Cultivation Project of Jiangsu Province [BRA2020076]
- Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD)
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The rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) plays a crucial role in chronic pain, but its specific role remains unclear, presenting challenges for drug development targeting this area.
Clinical therapies for chronic pain are limited. While targeted drugs are promising therapies for chronic pain, they exhibit insufficient efficacy and poor targeting. The occurrence of chronic pain partly results from central changes caused by alterations in neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) in the brainstem regulatory pathway. The RVM, which plays a key role in the descending pain control pathway, greatly contributes to the development and maintenance of pain. However, the exact roles of the RVM in chronic pain remain unclear, making it difficult to develop new drugs targeting the RVM and related pathways. Here, we first discuss the roles of the RVM and related circuits in chronic pain. Then, we analyze synaptic transmission between RVM neurons and spinal cord neurons, specifically focusing on the release of neurotransmitters, to explore the cellular mechanisms by which the RVM regulates chronic pain. Finally, we propose some ideas for the development of drugs targeting the RVM.
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