while for a long time it has been perceived that neonates and young children do not perceive pain as the adult, this notion had to be corrected on the basis of neurophysiological data and the ontogenisis of the nociceptive system. also, it has been demonstrated conclusively that neonates and the young infant perceive pain at a much lower nociceptive input which is largely due to a still immatur...

Alloknesis, itch hypersensitivity to normally innocuous mechanical stimuli, has been reported in various mouse models and patients including xerosis atopic dermatitis (AD). We previously that repeated administration of Neurotropin (NTP), an analgesic agent widely used Japan China, attenuates scratching behavior a model AD. NTP also exert effect via the descending inhibitory system, intrinsic sy...

The descending serotonergic (5-HT) system is shown to be plastically altered under pathological conditions such as inflammation or peripheral nerve lesion. Although much evidence indicates that the potentiation of descending facilitatory 5-HT pathways may contribute to the development of chronic pain, the inhibition of descending inhibitory 5-HT system may be functionally more important to the ...

Lampreys are jawless vertebrates, the most basal group of extant vertebrates. This phylogenetic position makes them invaluable models in comparative studies of the vertebrate central nervous system. Lampreys have been used as vertebrate models to study the neuronal circuits underlying locomotion control and axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. Inhibitory inputs are key elements in the ...

Spinal nociceptive processing undergoes extensive maturation in the postnatal period. Dorsal horn neurons are more easily excited by peripheral stimuli in young animals and nociceptive reflexes are less well directed. Since circuits in the central nervous system require a balance of excitation and inhibition, I hypothesised that the maturation of inhibitory circuitry is responsible for changing...

BACKGROUND Affections are thought to regulate pain perception through the descending pain inhibitory system in the central nervous system. In this study, we examined in mice the affective change by inhalation of the lemon oil, which is well used for aromatherapy, and the effect of lemon odor on pain sensation. We also examined the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and descending pain inhibitory s...