The Role of The Rostral Ventromedial Medulla in Stress Responses

Author(s)

Pagliusi Jr, Marco ; Gomes, Felipe V.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BRAIN SCIENCES; v. 13, n. 5, p. 10-pg., 2023-05-09.

Abstract

The rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) is a brainstem structure critical for the descending pain modulation system involved in both pain facilitation and inhibition through its projection to the spinal cord. Since the RVM is well connected with pain- and stress-engaged brain structures, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala, its involvement in stress responses has become a matter of great interest. While chronic stress has been proposed as a trigger of pain chronification and related psychiatric comorbidities due to maladaptive stress responses, acute stress triggers analgesia and other adaptative responses. Here we reviewed and highlighted the critical role of the RVM in stress responses, mainly in acute stress-induced analgesia (SIA) and chronic stress-induced hyperalgesia (SIH), providing insights into pain chronification processes and comorbidity between chronic pain and psychiatric disorders. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 20/08363-9 - Study of the modulation of afferent pathways to the rostral ventromedial medulla in depressive-like behavior and hyperalgesia induced by social stress in mice
• Grantee: Marco Oreste Finocchio Pagliusi Junior
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/17597-3 - The impact of stress on the dopamine system depends on the state of the critical period of neuroplasticity: implications for depression and schizophrenia and for the study of new drug targets
• Grantee: Felipe Villela Gomes
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants