Ultrastructural evidence for GABA-mediated disinhibitory circuits in the spinal cord of the cat

Hantao Liu, Ida J. Llewellyn-Smith, Paul Pilowsky, Allan I. Basbaum

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The synaptic relationships between γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-immunoreactive and enkephalin-immunoreactive profiles in the cat spinal cord were examined using combined pre-embedding immunoperoxidase and post-embedding immunogold electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. Although colchicine was not used, enkephalin-immunoreactive somata and dendrites were detected in regions associated with nociceptive transmission, including laminae I, II, V and X. In each of these laminae, many GABA-immunoreactive terminals were found presynaptic to enkephalin-immunoreactive cell bodies and dendrites. We propose that disinhibition of opioid-containing neurons may be a common feature of pain-related circuits in the cat spinal cord.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)183-187
    Number of pages5
    JournalNeuroscience letters
    Volume138
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 13 Apr 1992

    Keywords

    • Analgesia
    • Dorsal horn
    • Enkephalin
    • GABA

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Ultrastructural evidence for GABA-mediated disinhibitory circuits in the spinal cord of the cat'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this