Intra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesia

Abstract Pain in one part of the body profoundly diminishes the sensation of pain in other parts of the body in humans. Here, we found that pain-related behaviors in hindpaw are inhibited by noxious stimuli from diverse body regions in mice. Using activity-dependent cell labeling in male Fos TRAP2 m...

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Main Authors: Ji-Ye Huang, Yu-Xin Jin, Wan-Ying Dong, Wan Zhao, Ping-Kai Cheng, Jun-Hao Miao, An Liu, Di Wang, Juan Li, Zhi Zhang, Wenjuan Tao, Xia Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57050-y
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author Ji-Ye Huang
Yu-Xin Jin
Wan-Ying Dong
Wan Zhao
Ping-Kai Cheng
Jun-Hao Miao
An Liu
Di Wang
Juan Li
Zhi Zhang
Wenjuan Tao
Xia Zhu
author_facet Ji-Ye Huang
Yu-Xin Jin
Wan-Ying Dong
Wan Zhao
Ping-Kai Cheng
Jun-Hao Miao
An Liu
Di Wang
Juan Li
Zhi Zhang
Wenjuan Tao
Xia Zhu
author_sort Ji-Ye Huang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Pain in one part of the body profoundly diminishes the sensation of pain in other parts of the body in humans. Here, we found that pain-related behaviors in hindpaw are inhibited by noxious stimuli from diverse body regions in mice. Using activity-dependent cell labeling in male Fos TRAP2 mice, we captured a neuronal ensemble in the layers 2–4 of secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) that was activated during pain at diverse body regions induced analgesia. Single-cell projection analysis showed that these S2 neurons receive projections from the contralateral S2 and specifically innervate the layer 4 of primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Microendoscopic calcium imaging and chemogenetic manipulation in freely moving mice showed that this S2 → S1 feedforward inhibitory circuit mediates ipsilateral pain-induced analgesia, whereas contralateral S2 innervation of the S2 → S1 circuit mediates contralateral pain-induced analgesia. Our study defines the intra-somatosensory cortical circuits underlying “pain inhibiting pain”, expanding the scope of known circuit mechanisms involved in pain relief.
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spelling doaj-art-73a77728eb534799802ca339b59fdd952025-08-20T03:13:14ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-02-0116111610.1038/s41467-025-57050-yIntra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesiaJi-Ye Huang0Yu-Xin Jin1Wan-Ying Dong2Wan Zhao3Ping-Kai Cheng4Jun-Hao Miao5An Liu6Di Wang7Juan Li8Zhi Zhang9Wenjuan Tao10Xia Zhu11Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technique of ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical UniversityDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical UniversityDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for advance interdisciplinary science and biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaAbstract Pain in one part of the body profoundly diminishes the sensation of pain in other parts of the body in humans. Here, we found that pain-related behaviors in hindpaw are inhibited by noxious stimuli from diverse body regions in mice. Using activity-dependent cell labeling in male Fos TRAP2 mice, we captured a neuronal ensemble in the layers 2–4 of secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) that was activated during pain at diverse body regions induced analgesia. Single-cell projection analysis showed that these S2 neurons receive projections from the contralateral S2 and specifically innervate the layer 4 of primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Microendoscopic calcium imaging and chemogenetic manipulation in freely moving mice showed that this S2 → S1 feedforward inhibitory circuit mediates ipsilateral pain-induced analgesia, whereas contralateral S2 innervation of the S2 → S1 circuit mediates contralateral pain-induced analgesia. Our study defines the intra-somatosensory cortical circuits underlying “pain inhibiting pain”, expanding the scope of known circuit mechanisms involved in pain relief.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57050-y
spellingShingle Ji-Ye Huang
Yu-Xin Jin
Wan-Ying Dong
Wan Zhao
Ping-Kai Cheng
Jun-Hao Miao
An Liu
Di Wang
Juan Li
Zhi Zhang
Wenjuan Tao
Xia Zhu
Intra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesia
Nature Communications
title Intra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesia
title_full Intra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesia
title_fullStr Intra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesia
title_full_unstemmed Intra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesia
title_short Intra-somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain-induced analgesia
title_sort intra somatosensory cortical circuits mediating pain induced analgesia
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57050-y
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