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Research
Interests
We
are interested in the mechanisms underlying nociceptive
transmission and modulation. Currently, our research is
confined to the following two areas:
First,
we are establishing and developing animal models to
distinguish the “pain emotion” from “pain sensory”
for studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the
emotional-affective aspect and memory of pain.
The pain experience includes a
sensory-discriminative and an emotional-affective
component. “To
consider only the sensory features of pain, and ignore its
motivational and affective properties, is to look at only
part of the problem, and even the most important part at
that (Melzack and Casey, 1968).
Our objective is to identify the major
intracellular signaling pathways mediating pain-related
emotion and memory, and reveal the structural and
functional substrate of induction of pain-related emotion
and memory.
Second,
we are focusing on the central mechanisms of hyperalgesia
induced by chronic pain.
Chronic pain, including inflammatory pain,
neuropathic pain and cancer pain, which have similar
clinical situation: “hyperalgesia”, “allodynia”,
and “spontaneous pain”.
Injury and inflammation produce peripheral and
central sensitivity. Lots
of neurotransmitters and their receptors involve in
central sensitivity. Glia
plays a very important role in modulating the local
concentration of these neurotransmitters.
Currently, we are examining the effects of glial
cells on the induction and maintenance of central
sensitivity in animal models of arthritis.
Main
publications:
1.
1. Ren
WH, Guo JD,
Cao H
, Wang H, Zhao ZQ, Zhang YQ.CA. Is
Endogenous D-Serine in the Rostral Anterior Cingulate
Cortex Necessary for Pain-related Negative Affect?
J Neurochem. 2006; 96：1636-1647。
2.
Sun
S, Chen WL, Wang PF, Zhao ZQ, Zhang YQ.CA
Disruption of Glial Function Enhances Electroacupuncture
Analgesia in Arthritic Rats. Exp Neurol. 2006; in press.
3.
Lei
LG, Sun S, Zhao ZQ, Zhang
YQCA.
NMDA receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex mediate
pain-related aversion. Exp Neurol 2004; 189: 413-421.
4.
Gao
YJ, Ren WH, Zhang
YQ.CA
Zhao ZQ
CA.
Contributions of the anterior cingulate cortex and
amygdala to pain- and fear- conditioned place avoidance in
rats. Pain 2004; 110: 343-353.
5.
Yang
ZL, Gao YJ, Wu GC, Zhang
YQ.CA.
Facilitatory effect of microinjection of OFQ into the
periaqueductal gray on nociceptive responses of spinal
dorsal horn neurons in rats is mediated by the nucleus
raphe magnus and nucleus reticularis gigantocelluaris.
Neuropharmacol. 2003;
45: 612-622.
6.
Wang
XD, Zhang YQCF, Kong LW, Xie ZQ, Lin ZX, Zhao ZQ, Yu L,
Jing NH.RSEP1 is a novel gene with functional involvement
in neuropathic pain behaviou. European J Neuroscience,
2005; 22:1090-1096.
7.
Zhang
YQ.CA,
Gao X, Ji GC, Huang YL, Wu GC, Zhao ZQ.
Expression of 5-HT
1A
receptor mRNA in rat lumbar spinal dorsal horn neurons
after peripheral inflammation.
Pain 2002;
98: 287-295.
8.
Zhang
YQ,
Ji GC, Wu GC, Zhao ZQ.
Excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists and
electroacupuncture synergetically inhibit carrageenan-induced
behavioral hyperalgesia and spinal fos expression in rats.
Pain 2002;
99: 523-535.
9.
Zhang
YQ, Yang
ZL, Gao X, Wu GC. The
role of 5-HT
1A
and 5-HT1B receptors in modulating spinal nociceptive
transmission in normal and carrageenan inflammatory rats.
Pain 2001; 92: 201-211.
10.
Zhang
YQ, Tang
JS, Yuan B, Jia H. Inhibitory
effects of electrical evoked activation of ventrolateral
orbital cortex on the tail flick reflex are mediated by
periaqueductal gray in rats. Pain 1997; 72: 127-135.
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