The past decade has witnessed rapid progress in defining neural circuits and mechanisms
in the brain, responsible for regulation of the sympathetic nerve activity and cardiovascular …

The human spinal cord can be described using a range of nomenclatures with each
providing insight into its structure and function. Here we have comprehensively reviewed the …

Itch is a distinct aversive sensation that elicits a strong urge to scratch. Despite recent
advances in our understanding of the peripheral basis of itch, we know very little regarding …

The effects of microinjection of 5–10 μg of morphine into the midbrain periaqueductal gray
(PAG) on the activity of neurons in the rostral ventral medulla (RVM) were studied in lightly …

Previous findings indicate that the brain stem descending system becomes more active in
modulating spinal nociceptive processes during the development of persistent pain. The …

Brainstem–spinal cord connections play an essential role in adult pain processing, and the
modulation of spinal pain network excitability by brainstem nuclei is known to contribute to …

Using the classification system of Fields et al. 16 131 neurons in the rostral ventromedial
medulla (RVM) of lightly anesthetized rats were divided into 3 groups according to their …

Anatomical and physiological studies conducted in the 1960s identified the periaqueductal
gray (PAG) and its descending projections to the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) and …

Noradrenergic neurons located in the A5, A7 and locus coeruleus/subcoeruleus (LC/SC)
catecholamine cell groups innervate all levels of the spinal cord. However, the specific …

The ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) is a key brain area within the descending
pain modulatory pathway and an important target for opioid-induced analgesia. The vlPAG …