Testing the Role of Glutamate NMDA Receptors in Peripheral Trigeminal Nociception Implicated in Migraine Pain |
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| Authors: | Cindy Guerrero-Toro Kseniia Koroleva Elizaveta Ermakova Oleg Gafurov Polina Abushik Pasi Tavi Guzel Sitdikova Rashid Giniatullin |
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| Affiliation: | 1.A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; (C.G.-T.); (K.K.); (P.A.); (P.T.);2.Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.E.); (O.G.);3.Laboratory of Comparative Neurophysiology, Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194223 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
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| Abstract: | The pro-nociceptive role of glutamate in the CNS in migraine pathophysiology is well established. Glutamate, released from trigeminal afferents, activates second order nociceptive neurons in the brainstem. However, the function of peripheral glutamate receptors in the trigeminovascular system suggested as the origin site for migraine pain, is less known. In the current project, we used calcium imaging and patch clamp recordings from trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons, immunolabelling, CGRP assay and direct electrophysiological recordings from rat meningeal afferents to investigate the role of glutamate in trigeminal nociception. Glutamate, aspartate, and, to a lesser extent, NMDA under free-magnesium conditions, evoked calcium transients in a fraction of isolated TG neurons, indicating functional expression of NMDA receptors. The fraction of NMDA sensitive neurons was increased by the migraine mediator CGRP. NMDA also activated slowly desensitizing currents in 37% of TG neurons. However, neither glutamate nor NMDA changed the level of extracellular CGRP. TG neurons expressed both GluN2A and GluN2B subunits of NMDA receptors. In addition, after removal of magnesium, NMDA activated persistent spiking activity in a fraction of trigeminal nerve fibers in meninges. Thus, glutamate activates NMDA receptors in somas of TG neurons and their meningeal nerve terminals in magnesium-dependent manner. These findings suggest that peripherally released glutamate can promote excitation of meningeal afferents implicated in generation of migraine pain in conditions of inherited or acquired reduced magnesium blockage of NMDA channels and support the usage of magnesium supplements in migraine. |
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| Keywords: | glutamate migraine NMDA CGRP trigeminal ganglia trigeminal nerve |
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