Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience最新文献

{"title":"Every-other-day fasting inhibits pyroptosis while regulating bile acid metabolism and activating TGR5 signaling in spinal cord injury","authors":"Honghu Song, Rizhao Pang, Zhixuan Chen, Linjie Wang, Xiaomin Hu, Jingzhi Feng, Wenchun Wang, Jiancheng Liu, Anren Zhang","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1466125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1466125","url":null,"abstract":"Every-other-day fasting (EODF) is a form of caloric restriction that alternates between periods of normal eating and fasting, aimed at preventing and treating diseases. This approach has gained widespread usage in basic research on neurological conditions, including spinal cord injury, and has demonstrated significant neuroprotective effects. Additionally, EODF is noted for its safety and feasibility, suggesting broad potential for application. This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic effects of EODF on spinal cord injury and to investigate and enhance its underlying mechanisms. Initially, the SCI rat model was utilized to evaluate the effects of EODF on pathological injury and motor function. Subsequently, considering the enhancement of metabolism through EODF, bile acid metabolism in SCI rats was analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS), and the expression of the bile acid receptor TGR5 was further assessed. Ultimately, it was confirmed that EODF influences the activation of microglia and NLRP3 inflammasomes associated with the TGR5 signaling, along with the expression of downstream pyroptosis pathway related proteins and inflammatory cytokines, as evidenced by the activation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptosis pathway in SCI rats. The results demonstrated that EODF significantly enhanced the recovery of motor function and reduced pathological damage in SCI rats while controlling weight gain. Notably, EODF promoted the secretion of bile acid metabolites, activated TGR5, and inhibited the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptosis pathway and inflammation in these rats. In summary, EODF could mitigate secondary injury after SCI and foster functional recovery by improving metabolism, activating the TGR5 signaling and inhibiting the NLRP3 pyroptosis pathway.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Common cytokine receptor gamma chain family cytokines activate MAPK, PI3K, and JAK/STAT pathways in microglia to influence Alzheimer’s Disease","authors":"Hannah Zuppe, Erin Reed","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1441691","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1441691","url":null,"abstract":"Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe deterioration of cognitive function. It is the seventh leading cause of death and is one of the major causes of dependence among older people globally. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) contributes to approximately 60–70% of dementia cases and is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. Neuroinflammation is now widely accepted as another disease hallmark, playing a role in both the response to and the perpetuation of disease processes. Microglia are brain-resident immune cells that are initially effective at clearing amyloid plaques but contribute to the damaging inflammatory milieu of the brain as disease progresses. Circulating peripheral immune cells contribute to this inflammatory environment through cytokine secretion, creating a positive feedback loop with the microglia. One group of these peripherally derived cytokines acting on microglia is the common cytokine receptor γ chain family. These cytokines bind heterodimer receptors to activate three major signaling pathways: MAPK, PI3K, and JAK/STAT. This perspective will look at the mechanisms of these three pathways in microglia and highlight the future directions of this research and potential therapeutics.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intercellular transmission of alpha-synuclein","authors":"Shenjie Wu, Randy W. Schekman","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1470171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1470171","url":null,"abstract":"An emerging theme in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the propagation of α-synuclein pathology as the disease progresses. Research involving the injection of preformed α-synuclein fibrils (PFFs) in animal models has recapitulated the pathological spread observed in PD patients. At the cellular and molecular levels, this intercellular spread requires the translocation of α-synuclein across various membrane barriers. Recent studies have identified subcellular organelles and protein machineries that facilitate these processes. In this review, we discuss the proposed pathways for α-synuclein intercellular transmission, including unconventional secretion, receptor-mediated uptake, endosome escape and nanotube-mediated transfer. In addition, we advocate for a rigorous examination of the evidence for the localization of α-synuclein in extracellular vesicles.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pro/antioxidant status and selenium, zinc and arsenic concentration in patients with bipolar disorder treated with lithium and valproic acid","authors":"Joanna Rog, Łukasz Łobejko, Michalina Hordejuk, Wojciech Marciniak, Róża Derkacz, Adam Kiljańczyk, Milena Matuszczak, Jan Lubiński, Miłosz Nesterowicz, Małgorzata Żendzian-Piotrowska, Anna Zalewska, Mateusz Maciejczyk, Hanna Karakula-Juchnowicz","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1441575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1441575","url":null,"abstract":"Disturbances in pro/antioxidant balance emerge as a crucial element in bipolar disorder (BD). Some studies suggest that treatment effects on trace element concentration in BD. This study aimed to identify (a) the changes related to oxidative stress in BD and their relationship with trace elements engaged in pro/antioxidant homeostasis; (b) BD biomarkers using machine learning algorithm classification and regression tree (C&RT) analysis. 62 individuals with BD and 40 healthy individuals (HC) were included in the study. The concentration of pro/antioxidant state and concentration of selenium, zinc, arsenic in blood were assessed. We found a higher concentration of total antioxidant capacity, catalase, advanced oxidation protein products and a lower concentration of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), glutathione, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in BD compared to HC. All examined trace elements were lower in the BD group compared to HC. A combination of two variables, 4-HNE (cut-off: ≤ 0.004 uM/mg protein) and GPx (cut-off: ≤ 0.485 U/mg protein), was the most promising markers for separating the BD from the HC. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for C&RT was 90.5%. Disturbances in the pro/antioxidant state and concentration of trace elements of patients with BD may be a target for new therapeutic or diagnostic opportunity of BD biomarkers.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A cutting-edge new framework for the pain management in children: nanotechnology","authors":"Iuliana Magdalena Starcea, Ancuta Lupu, Ana Maria Nistor, Maria Adriana Mocanu, Roxana Alexandra Bogos, Alice Azoicai, Diana Cira, Madalina Beldie, Vasile Valeriu Lupu, Ionela Daniela Morariu, Valentin Munteanu, Razvan Tudor Tepordei, Ileana Ioniuc","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1391092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1391092","url":null,"abstract":"Pain is a subjective concept which is ever-present in the medical field. Health professionals are confronted with a variety of pain types and sources, as well as the challenge of managing a patient with acute or chronic suffering. An even bigger challenge is presented in the pediatric population, which often cannot quantify pain in a numerical scale like adults. Infants and small children especially show their discomfort through behavioral and physiological indicators, leaving the health provider with the task of rating the pain. Depending on the pathophysiology of it, pain can be classified as neuropathic or nociceptive, with the first being defined by an irregular signal processing in the nervous system and the second appearing in cases of direct tissue damage or prolonged contact with a certain stimulant. The approach is generally either pharmacological or non-pharmacological and it can vary from using NSAIDs, local anesthetics, opiates to physical and psychological routes. Unfortunately, some pathologies involve either intense or chronic pain that cannot be managed with traditional methods. Recent studies have involved nanoparticles with special characteristics such as small dimension and large surface area that can facilitate carrying treatments to tissues and even offer intrinsic analgesic properties. Pediatrics has benefited significantly from the application of nanotechnology, which has enabled the development of novel strategies for drug delivery, disease diagnosis, and tissue engineering. This narrative review aims to evaluate the role of nanotechnology in current pain therapy, with emphasis on pain in children.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The dual role of TRPV1 in peripheral neuropathic pain: pain switches caused by its sensitization or desensitization","authors":"Ning Gao, Meng Li, Weiming Wang, Zhen Liu, Yufeng Guo","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1400118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1400118","url":null,"abstract":"The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel plays a dual role in peripheral neuropathic pain (NeuP) by acting as a “pain switch” through its sensitization and desensitization. Hyperalgesia, commonly resulting from tissue injury or inflammation, involves the sensitization of TRPV1 channels, which modulates sensory transmission from primary afferent nociceptors to spinal dorsal horn neurons. In chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), TRPV1 is implicated in neuropathic pain mechanisms due to its interaction with ion channels, neurotransmitter signaling, and oxidative stress. Sensitization of TRPV1 in dorsal root ganglion neurons contributes to CIPN development, and inhibition of TRPV1 channels can reduce chemotherapy-induced mechanical hypersensitivity. In diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), TRPV1 is involved in pain modulation through pathways including reactive oxygen species and cytokine production. TRPV1’s interaction with TRPA1 channels further influences chronic pain onset and progression. Therapeutically, capsaicin, a TRPV1 agonist, can induce analgesia through receptor desensitization, while TRPV1 antagonists and siRNA targeting TRPV1 show promise in preclinical studies. Cannabinoid modulation of TRPV1 provides another potential pathway for alleviating neuropathic pain. This review summarizes recent preclinical research on TRPV1 in association with peripheral NeuP.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics of ear fullness and synaptic loss in ear fullness revealed by SV2A positron emission tomographycortical","authors":"En Zhou, Xuping Xiao, Bin Liu, Zhiqiang Tan, JiaYu Zhong","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1451226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1451226","url":null,"abstract":"ObjectiveStudies on feeling of ear fullness (FEF) related to sudden sensorineural hearing loss(SSNHL) are limited. The mechanisms of FEF are unclear. This study aimed to explore the characteristics and related brain activation of SSNHL with FEF.MethodsA total of 269 SSNHL patients were prospectively observed and divided into two groups, with FEF and without FEF. Fifteen SSNHL patients with FEF and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and underwent 18F-SynVesT-1 static PET. Standardized uptake values ratios (SUVr) of 18F-SynVesT-1 were computed between regions of interest.ResultsThe occurrence of FEF was not related to the audiogram type or severity of hearing loss. There was a positive correlation between the degree of FEF and the degree of hearing loss. Recovery from FEF was not related to the audiogram shape, the degree of hearing loss or recovery. Fifteen SSNHL patients with FEF had relatively low 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake in the right middle frontal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, bilateral parietal lobe sub-gyral and left medial frontal gyrus, as compared with HCs. There was no relatively high 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake in the cerebral cortex.ConclusionThe occurrence and recovery of FEF in SSNHL patients are not related to the classification, degree and recovery of hearing loss. The 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake in the cerebral cortex of patients experiencing SSNHL and FEF has shown alterations. This indicates that FEF may be related to cortical reorganization after the sudden impairment of unilateral auditory input.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"SR9883 is a novel small-molecule enhancer of α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor signaling that decreases intravenous nicotine self-administration in rats","authors":"Kevin M. Braunscheidel, George Voren, Christie D. Fowler, Qun Lu, Alexander Kuryatov, Michael D. Cameron, Ines Ibañez-Tallon, Jon M. Lindstrom, Theodore M. Kamenecka, Paul J. Kenny","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1459098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1459098","url":null,"abstract":"Most smokers attempting to quit will quickly relapse to tobacco use even when treated with the most efficacious smoking cessation agents currently available. This highlights the need to develop effective new smoking cessation medications. Evidence suggests that positive allosteric modulators (PAM) and other enhancers of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) signaling could have therapeutic utility as smoking cessation agents. 3-[3-(3-pyridyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]benzonitrile (NS9283) enhances the activity of α4β2* nAChR stoichiometries containing a low-affinity agonist binding site at the interface of α4/α4 and α4/α5 subunits. The NS9283 derivative 3-(5-(pyridin-3-yl)-2H-tetrazol-2-yl)benzonitrile (SR9883) similarly enhanced the effect of nicotine on α4β2* nAChR stoichiometries that contain low-affinity agonist binding sites, with EC<jats:sub>50</jats:sub> values ranging from 0.2–0.4 μM. SR9883 had no effect on any stoichiometry of α3β2* and α3β4* nAChRs. SR9883 was bioavailable after intravenous (1 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) and oral (10–20 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) administration and penetrated into the brain. When administered alone, SR9883 (5–10 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) had no effect on locomotor activity or intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) thresholds in mice. When co-administered with nicotine, SR9883 enhanced locomotor suppression and elevations of ICSS thresholds induced by nicotine. SR9883 (5 and 10 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) decreased responding for intravenous nicotine infusions (0.03 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> per infusion) but had no effect on responding for food rewards in rats. Together, these data suggest that SR9883 is useful for investigating physiological and behavioral processes regulated by certain stoichiometries α4β2* nAChRs, including the motivational properties of nicotine. SR9883 or related compounds with favorable drug-like physiochemical and pharmacological properties hold promise as novel treatments of tobacco use disorder.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel super-resolution microscopy platform for cutaneous alpha-synuclein detection in Parkinson’s disease","authors":"Ofir Sade, Daphna Fischel, Noa Barak-Broner, Shir Halevi, Irit Gottfried, Dana Bar-On, Stefan Sachs, Anat Mirelman, Avner Thaler, Aviv Gour, Meir Kestenbaum, Mali Gana Weisz, Saar Anis, Claudio Soto, Melanie Shanie Roitman, Shimon Shahar, Kathrin Doppler, Markus Sauer, Nir Giladi, Nirit Lev, Roy N. Alcalay, Sharon Hassin-Baer, Uri Ashery","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1431549","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1431549","url":null,"abstract":"Alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregates in the central nervous system are the main pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD). ASyn aggregates have also been detected in many peripheral tissues, including the skin, thus providing a novel and accessible target tissue for the detection of PD pathology. Still, a well-established validated quantitative biomarker for early diagnosis of PD that also allows for tracking of disease progression remains lacking. The main goal of this research was to characterize aSyn aggregates in skin biopsies as a comparative and quantitative measure for PD pathology. Using direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (<jats:italic>d</jats:italic>STORM) and computational tools, we imaged total and phosphorylated-aSyn at the single molecule level in sweat glands and nerve bundles of skin biopsies from healthy controls (HCs) and PD patients. We developed a user-friendly analysis platform that offers a comprehensive toolkit for researchers that combines analysis algorithms and applies a series of cluster analysis algorithms (i.e., DBSCAN and FOCAL) onto <jats:italic>d</jats:italic>STORM images. Using this platform, we found a significant decrease in the ratio of the numbers of neuronal marker molecules to phosphorylated-aSyn molecules, suggesting the existence of damaged nerve cells in fibers highly enriched with phosphorylated-aSyn molecules. Furthermore, our analysis found a higher number of aSyn aggregates in PD subjects than in HC subjects, with differences in aggregate size, density, and number of molecules per aggregate. On average, aSyn aggregate radii ranged between 40 and 200 nm and presented an average density of 0.001–0.1 molecules/nm<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>. Our <jats:italic>d</jats:italic>STORM analysis thus highlights the potential of our platform for identifying quantitative characteristics of aSyn distribution in skin biopsies not previously described for PD patients while offering valuable insight into PD pathology by elucidating patient aSyn aggregation status.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reward system neurodynamics during menstrual pain modulated by COMT Val158Met polymorphisms","authors":"Pei-Shan Hsu, Ching-Hsiung Liu, Ching-Ju Yang, Lin-Chien Lee, Wei-Chi Li, Hsiang-Tai Chao, Ming-Wei Lin, Li-Fen Chen, Jen-Chuen Hsieh","doi":"10.3389/fnmol.2024.1457602","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1457602","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionPrimary dysmenorrhea (PDM), characterized by cyclic pain, may involve pain modulation within the reward system (RS). The Catechol-O-methyltransferase (<jats:italic>COMT</jats:italic>) Val158Met polymorphism, which significantly influences dopamine activity, is linked to the regulation of both acute and chronic pain. This study examines the differential neurodynamic modulation in the RS associated with <jats:italic>COMT</jats:italic> Val158Met polymorphisms during menstrual pain among PDM subjects.MethodNinety-one PDM subjects underwent resting-state fMRI during menstruation and were genotyped for <jats:italic>COMT</jats:italic> Val158Met polymorphisms. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) analyses were used to assess the RS response. Psychological evaluations included the McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory.ResultVal/Val homozygotes (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 50) and Met carriers (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 41) showed no significant differences in McGill Pain Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory. However, Met carriers exhibited lower scores on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Distinct FC patterns was observed between Val/Val homozygotes and Met carriers, specifically between the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex, NAc and inferior parietal lobe, ventral tegmental area (VTA) and prefrontal cortex, VTA and precentral gyrus, and VTA and superior parietal lobe. Only Met carriers showed significant correlations between ALFF and FC values of the NAc and VTA with pain-related metrics (McGill Pain Questionnaire and Pain Catastrophizing Scale scores). NAc ALFF and NAc-prefrontal cortex FC values positively correlated with pain-related metrics, while VTA ALFF and VTA-prefrontal cortex and VTA-superior parietal lobe FC values negatively correlated with pain-related metrics.DiscussionThis study reveals that the <jats:italic>COMT</jats:italic> Val158Met polymorphism results in genotype-specific functional changes in the brain’s RS during menstrual pain. In Met carriers, engagement of these regions is potentially linked to motivational reward-seeking and top-down modulation. This polymorphism likely influences the RS’s responses, significantly contributing to individual differences in pain regulation.","PeriodicalId":12630,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}