In vivo patch-clamp analysis of dopaminergic descending inhibitory pathway in the spinal dorsal horn

摘要

In the present study, to elucidate the mechanisms of antinociception mediated by the dopaminergic descending pathway in the spinal cord, we investigated actions of dopamine (DA) on substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons by in vivo whole-cell patch-clamp methods. This study showed that DA has both presynaptic and postsynaptic actions to inhibit synaptic transmission in SG neurons.