Excitatory neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus mediate the interruptive effect of inflammatory pain on a sustained attention task

BackgroundAttentional deficits are among the most common pain-induced cognitive disorders. Pain disrupts attention and may excessively occupy attentional resources in pathological states, leading to daily function impairment and increased disability. However, the neural circuit mechanisms by which pain disrupts attention are incompletely understood.MethodsWe used a three-choice serial reaction time task (3CSRTT) to construct a sustained-attention task model in male C57BL/6J mice. Formalin or complete Freund's adjuvant was injected into a paw to establish an inflammatory pain model. We measured changes in 3CSRTT performance in the two inflammatory pain models, and investigated the neural circuit mechanisms of pain-induced attentional deficits.ResultsAcute inflammatory pain impaired 3CSRTT performance, while chronic inflammatory pain had no effect. Either inhibition of the ascending pain pathway by blockade of the conduction of nociceptive signals in the sciatic nerve using the local anesthetic lidocaine or chemogenetic inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II alpha (CaMKII alpha) neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) attenuated the acute inflammatory pain-induced impairment of 3CSRTT performance, while chemogenetic activation of CaMKII alpha neurons in the LPBN disrupted the 3CSRTT. Furthermore, the activity of CaMKII alpha neurons in the LPBN was significantly lower on Day 2 after complete Freund's adjuvant injection than on the day of injection, which correlated with the recovery of 3CSRTT performance during chronic inflammatory pain.ConclusionsActivation of excitatory neurons in the LPBN is a mechanism by which acute inflammatory pain disrupts sustained attention. This finding has implications for the treatment of pain and its cognitive comorbidities.

Automated summary

The study found that acute inflammatory pain impairs sustained attention, but chronic inflammatory pain does not. Inhibition of the ascending pain pathway or chemogenetic inhibition of CaMKII alpha neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus can attenuate the acute inflammatory pain-induced performance impairment, which affects the recovery of 3CSRTT performance during chronic inflammatory pain.