Studying nociceptive information pathways in spinal dorsal horn -Problems and new opportunities for the in vivo electrophysilogical recording-

Abstract

Chronic pain affects one in five of the general population and is the third most important cause of disability-adjusted life-years globally. Unfortunately, treatment remains inadequate due to poor efficacy and tolerability. The superficial dorsal horn, particularly substantia gelatinosa (SG) in the spinal cord, receives inputs from small-diameter primary afferents that predominantly convey noxious sensation. Electrophysiology from spinal dorsal horn has transformed research in the not only pain studies but also life sciences over the last few decades. Especially, in vivo electrophysiology has the potential to yield more biologically complex information and be especially useful in reverse engineering the molecular and cellular mechanisms of single-cell and network neuronal computation, while capturing important aspects of human disease mechanisms and possible therapeutic strategies. Unfortunately, it is a difficult procedure with a steep learning curve, which has restricted dissemination of the technique. Here, this symposium reviews problems and the recent advances in in vivo electrophysiological recording techniques.