Parallel neural pathways control sodium consumption and taste valence

Selective modification of ascending spinal outputs in acute and neuropathic pain states

“…Targeting strategies to express the GCamP6f calcium reporter in dorsal horn lamina I projection neurons and interneurons. Top, animals carrying Rosa lsl-GCaMP6f allele and heterozygous for either Tacr1 CreERT2 or Gpr83 CreERT2 alleles label largely segregated sets of interneurons (INs) and projection neurons (PNs) projecting to posterior thalamus (Th), periaqueductal gray (PAG), lateral parabrachial nuclei (PBN L ), and other ALT targets. Bottom, mice carrying the same Cre-dependent GCaMP6f allele are injected with a retrograde pseudotyped adeno-associated virus driving expression of Cre (rAAV-Cre), resulting in GCaMP6f expression exclusively in a subset of projection neurons.…”

“…While a subset of ALT projection neurons are located in the deep lamina of the dorsal horn, particularly lamina V, the majority reside within the superficial lamina I, enabling optical access from the spinal surface for in vivo calcium imaging. We generated mice carrying either Gpr83 CreERT2 or Tacr1 CreERT2 together with a Cre-dependent GCaMP6f allele (Ai95) 37 . ( Figures 1A-B ).…”

“…Maximal projections of cleared spinal cords expressing GCaMP, targeted anatomically or transgenically to superficial dorsal horn neurons. Maximum projections of GCaMP6f expression in superficial dorsal horn at low (top) and high (bottom) magnification are shown for transgenic Gpr83 creERT 2 ; Rosa lsl-GCaMP6f (left) and Tacr1 creERT 2 ; Rosa lsl-GCaMP6f (middle) animals, and for rAAV-Cre injected into Rosa lsl-GCaMP6f PbN (right). Scale bars 500 microns.…”

“…A fundamental question in neurobiology is how the same fixed external stimulus may evoke different perceptual, emotional, and behavioral responses as a consequence of changes in internal state [1][2][3] . An important example of this phenomenon is the transition between protective nociceptive pain, in which the sensation of pain is triggered only by an imminent danger of tissue damage by a noxious stimulus, to a sensitized pain state, in which intense pain is now elicited by innocuous stimuli 4 .…”

Salt Taste Sensitivity in CKD: Does it Affect Salt Intake?

“…Aversion to high salt liquids is mediated by a different region located in the forebrain, where prostaglandin seems to be the major signal. 2 Although studying salt taste in humans uses less powerful tools, human psychology allows a more detailed description of the sensation of salt. There are many differences in taste physiology between mice and humans.…”