Cell death has been reported in the CNS in models of neuropathic pain (Sugimoto et al., 1990; Whiteside and Munglani, 2001; Scholz et al., 2005; Fuccio et al., 2009). In our present study, we examined the effects of spinal nerve ligation (SNL) on the number of neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), a brainstem region involved in modulation of nociception. In rats receiving SNL, we f...

Microinjection of neurotensin into the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) produces a potent and naloxone-insensitive analgesic effect. To test the hypothesis that neurotensin induces the analgesic effect by activating the PAG-rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) descending antinociceptive pathway, PAG neurons that project to RVM (PAG-RVM) were identified by microinjecting DiI(C18), a retrograde t...

The rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) is a major locus for the descending control of nociception and opioid analgesia. However, it is not clear how opioids affect synaptic inputs to RVM neurons. In this study, we determined the effect of μ opioid receptor activation on excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in spi nally projecting RVM neurons. RVM neurons were retrogradely labeled wit...

Two patients are reported with contralateral hemiparesis including a face of supranuclear type, caused by an infarct of the unilateral ventromedial part of the upper medulla. Data from these patients support the hypothesis that part of the corticobulbar fibres supplying the lower facial muscles descend ipsilaterally in the ventromedial part of the upper medulla and then, after decussation, asce...

introduction: nucleus reticularis paragigantocellularis (pgi) is one of the major components of the rostral ventromedial medulla (rvm), which is involved in nociceptive processing and pain modulation. the aim of this study was to examine the effect of c fiber destruction on responsiveness of nucleus reticularis paragigantocellularis (pgi) to formalin, as a noxious stimulus, in normal and morphi...

introduction: nucleus cuneiformis (ncf), as part of descending pain inhibitory system, cooperates with periaqueductal gray (pag) and rostral ventromedial medulla (rvm) in supraspinal modulation of pain. cannabinoids have analgesic effects in the pag, rvm and ncf. the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1(trpv1) can be activated by anandamide and win55,212-2 as a cannabinoid receptor ago...

The relationship between the anatomy and neurochemistry of neurons in the ventral medulla oblongata in regions that is responsible for cardiovascular, airways, and respiratory regulation was investigated. Microinjections of excitant amino acid (glutamate, 100 nl, 100 mM) were made throughout the ventral medulla in anesthetized rats. Arterial blood pressure, sympathetic nerve activity and phreni...