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(NAS Colloquium) The Neurobiology of Pain (1999) / Chapter Skim
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Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor is an Endogenous Modulator of Nociceptive Responses in the Spinal Cord
Pages 7714-7718

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From page 7714...
... Studies on null-mutant mice have provided ample evidence for the neurotrophic hypothesis that discrete groups of neurons receive from their targets specific trophic support that is essential for the survival of those neurons. For small-diameter primary sensory neurons of neural-crest origin that project to the spinal cord, a member of the neurotrophin family, nerve growth factor (NGF)
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From page 7715...
... The in vitro hemisected spinal cord is used routinely in our and other laboratories to monitor alterations in synaptic excitability. Reflex responses to C fiber inputs may be recorded from the ventral root, close to the motoneuron cell bodies, with close-fitting glass suction electrodes, and these reflex responses appear as prolonged ventral root potentials (VRPs)
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From page 7716...
... There is evidence from primary cultures of hippocampal neurons that BDNF enhances spontaneous release of glutamate and acetylcholine, suggesting that BDNF functions there as a retrograde modulator of presynaptic transmitter release (19~. It is unlikely that such a mechanism will operate within the spinal cord, because those sensory neurons that express BDNF do not in general display the trkB receptor and are therefore likely to be insensitive to the synaptically released neurotrophin.
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From page 7717...
... In the spinal cord, it is likely therefore that BDNF interacts with signal transduction pathways to induce long-term changes in synaptic excitability that depend on gene transcription and protein synthesis. It is well recognized that activity in primary sensory neurons, and specifically in nociceptive sensory neurons, is capable of inducing c-fos In spinal Inflamed or NGF treated _ ~ time · glutamate O BDNF trkB AMPA .~ NMDA 1.
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From page 7718...
... We have recently tested this idea more stringently by assessing the effect of trkB-IgG on nociceptive behavioral responses in adult rats. Behavioral nociceptive responses evoked after subcutaneous injection of dilute formalin into one hind paw were significantly reduced by prior intrathecal administration of trkB-IgG (Fig.
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Key Terms

  • sensory neurons
  • dorsal horn
  • nmda receptor
  • primary sensory
  • neurotrophic factor

  • endogenous bdnf
  • bdnf immunoreactivity
  • reflex excitability
  • central sensitization
  • inflammatory conditions

  • trkb receptors
  • exogenous bdnf
  • intrathecal administration
  • superficial dorsal
  • nociceptive responses

  • trkb receptor
  • ngf treatment
  • bdnf expression
  • synaptic excitability
  • behavioral responses

  • nerve growth
  • spinal reflex
  • bdnf contributes
  • neurotrophin family
  • normal circumstances

  • constitutively expressed
  • ventral root
  • reflex responses
  • noxious stimulation
  • fiber activation


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