Decoding chronic pain: the glutamate-GABA tug of war in the cerebral cortex
A sustained imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms within the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems of the cerebral cortex, induced by noxious stimuli, is a fundamental characteristic in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. This review provides a comprehensive summary of th...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2025.1572775/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | A sustained imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms within the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems of the cerebral cortex, induced by noxious stimuli, is a fundamental characteristic in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the roles and interaction of glutamatergic and GABAergic systems in the processing of chronic pain signals. Specifically, we present a systematic summary of the processing patterns of the cerebral cortex in the cross-modular integration and output of chronic pain information, according to four aspects, molecular, cellular, neural network and behavioral cognition. These patterns consist of neuronal responses in individual cortical regions, neuron-astrocyte interactions, sharing and cascading of inter-cortical signals, and downward cortical modulation. Furthermore, a number of potential therapeutic approaches to the chronic pain are discussed from the pain management perspective. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1662-5099 |