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Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Androgen And Estrogen (Α) Receptor Localization On Periaqueductal Gray Neurons Projecting To The Rostral Ventromedial Medulla In The Male And Female Rat, Dayna R. Loyd, Anne Z, Murphy Phd
Androgen And Estrogen (Α) Receptor Localization On Periaqueductal Gray Neurons Projecting To The Rostral Ventromedial Medulla In The Male And Female Rat, Dayna R. Loyd, Anne Z, Murphy Phd
Neuroscience Institute Faculty Publications
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is involved in many gonadal steroid-sensitive behaviors, including responsiveness to pain. The PAG projects to the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), comprising the primary circuit driving pain inhibition. Morphine administered systemically or directly into the PAG produces greater analgesia in male compared to female rats, while manipulation of gonadal hormones alters morphine potency in both sexes. It is unknown if these alterations are due to steroidal actions on PAG neurons projecting to the RVM. The expression of androgen (AR) and estrogen (ERα) receptors in the PAG of female rats and within this descending inhibitory pathway in both …
Sex Differences In The Anatomical And Functional Organization Of The Periaqueductal Gray-Rostral Ventromedial Medullary Pathway In The Rat: A Potential Circuit Mediating The Sexually Dimorphic Actions Of Morphine, Dayna R. Loyd, Anne Z. Murphy Phd
Sex Differences In The Anatomical And Functional Organization Of The Periaqueductal Gray-Rostral Ventromedial Medullary Pathway In The Rat: A Potential Circuit Mediating The Sexually Dimorphic Actions Of Morphine, Dayna R. Loyd, Anne Z. Murphy Phd
Neuroscience Institute Faculty Publications
Previous studies have demonstrated that morphine, administered systemically or directly into the PAG, produces a significantly greater degree of antinociception in males in comparison to females. As the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) and its descending projections to the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) constitute an essential neural circuit for opioid-based analgesia, the present studies were conducted to determine if sex differences in the anatomical organization of the PAG-RVM pathway, and its activation during persistent inflammatory pain, could account for sex-based differences in opioid analgesia. In the rat, retrograde tracing was combined with Fos immunocytochemistry to investigate sexual dimorphism in the organization …