Progesterone Withdrawal-Evoked Plasticity of Neural Function in the Female Periaqueductal Grey Matter

Thelma Lovick, Adam Devall

Research output: Contribution to journalReview article

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cyclical changes in production of neuroactive steroids during the oestrous cycle induce significant changes in GABA(A) receptor expression in female rats. In the periaqueductal grey (PAG) matter, upregulation of alpha 4 beta 1 delta GABA(A) receptors occurs as progesterone levels fall during late dioestrus (LD) or during withdrawal from an exogenous progesterone dosing regime. The new receptors are likely to be extrasynaptically located on the GABAergic interneurone population and to mediate tonic currents. Electrophysiological studies showed that when alpha 4 beta 1 delta GABAA receptor expression was increased, the excitability of the output neurones in the PAG increased, due to a decrease in the level of ongoing inhibitory tone from the GABAergic interneurones. The functional consequences in terms of nociceptive processing were investigated in conscious rats. Baseline tail flick latencies were similar in all rats. However, acute exposure to mild vibration stress evoked hyperalgesia in rats in LD and after progesterone withdrawal, in line with the upregulation of alpha 4 beta 1 delta GABA(A) receptor expression. Copyright (C) 2009 T. A. Lovick and A. J. Devall.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)730902
Number of pages1
JournalNeural Plasticity
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2009

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Progesterone Withdrawal-Evoked Plasticity of Neural Function in the Female Periaqueductal Grey Matter'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this