Key result
WDR neuron activation precedes withdrawal reflexes at lower temperatures but firing frequency cannot distinguish stimuli.
Why the study?
The neuronal mechanisms underlying the activation of behavioral withdrawal reflexes to noxious heat stimuli remain unclear.
WDR neuron activation precedes behavioral withdrawal reflexes to noxious heat, but their firing frequency alone does not distinguish between noxious and non-noxious stimuli at the time of reflex.
Hypothesis-generating for nociceptive processing in animal models; leaves open stimulus discrimination and human translation.
Behavioral experiments and neurophysiological experiments, the two major types of preclinical studies which have paved the way for the development of spinal analgesia were compared under identical conditions utilizing the same animals. The results demonstrate that the activation of the wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons preceded the behavioral withdrawal reflexes, and that the activation of the WDR neurons occurred at lower stimulus temperature than that for the withdrawal reflex. The results suggest that the neuronal activation began before the behavioral reflex but also that the firing frequency of the WDR neurons at the time of the withdrawal reflex could not distinguish between non-noxious and noxious stimuli. Further study is needed to elucidate the neuronal mechanisms of the activation of the behavioral reflex.
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Nishioka et al. (1995) studied Pain / Withdrawal reflex. Noxious heat stimulus vs. Non-noxious stimulus was evaluated on Activation of wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons and behavioral withdrawal reflexes. Activation of wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons preceded behavioral withdrawal reflexes and occurred at lower stimulus temperatures, though firing frequency could not distinguish stimulus types.
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