SEEG-RFTC in patients with refractory focal epilepsy: real-world outcomes from 121 cases.

OBJECTIVE: Radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) has emerged as an effective and safe treatment method for patients with refractory focal epilepsy, when stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) is implanted. Although real-world research results are still limited, a considerable number of patients have shown favorable outcomes with this less invasive method. This study aims to describe the outcomes and predictive factors of SEEG-RFTC in real-world research. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted on patients in the authors' epilepsy center. In total, 121 patients who underwent RFTC were included in the study. Post-RFTC outcomes were evaluated using the seizure-free rate and response rate (seizure frequency reduction more than 50%). Predictive factors influencing post-RFTC outcome were considered by comparing different variables. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 18.3 months. Eighty-two patients (67.8%) were responders and 54 (44.6%) were seizure free. In 36 patients with malformation of cortical development, the seizure-free rate and the response rate were 69.44% and 83.33%, respectively. In 20 patients with hippocampal sclerosis, 19 patients were responders and 14 (70%) patients were seizure free at the last follow-up. The MRI feature and etiology of epilepsy are correlated with the outcome. MR-positive is a predictive factor for seizure freedom (p < 0.01) and responders (p < 0.01). Other factors have no predictive value for post-RFTC outcome. INTERPRETATION: SEEG-RFTC is a safe procedure and yields favorable outcomes in numerous cases of focal DRE. The MRI feature and etiology of epilepsy are correlated with the seizure-free rate and response rate. And MRI positivity is the predictor for good RFTC outcome.

Effect of temperature and humidity on mechanical properties and constitutive modeling of pressure-sensitive adhesives.

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are crucial for the structural and functional integrity of flexible displays. Investigating the intricate mechanical properties of PSAs can help enhance product quality and performance. This study conducts systematic mechanical tests, including uniaxial tensile, compression, planar shear, and stress relaxation, on PSAs at temperatures ranging from - 25 to 85 â„ƒ and relative humidity levels from 0 to 90%. Our findings reveal that the Anssari-Benam model accurately describes the hyperelastic behavior of PSA materials under large deformation, outperforming the Ogden model by requiring fewer parameters and better preserving convexity. Moreover the results show that temperature markedly affects PSA properties, particularly near the glass transition temperature (Tg), with lower temperatures leading to decreased elasticity and higher temperatures aiding in stress relaxation. Similarly, humidity impacts PSA behavior, increasing elasticity and decreasing stiffness, especially noticeable in stress relaxation tests. These findings highlight the substantial influence of environmental conditions on the material properties of PSAs and underscore the necessity of understanding both hyperelastic and viscoelastic responses for their application in flexible technologies. This research provides critical insights for the optimal utilization of PSAs in the rapidly evolving field of flexible electronics, including OLED displays.

Effects of different geriatric nursing teaching methods on nursing students' knowledge and attitude: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different teaching methods of geriatric nursing on the mastery of geriatric knowledge among nursing students and their attitude toward the elderly. METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies on teaching methods to improve nursing students' knowledge and attitude were systematically retrieved in electronic databases. The time scale of retrieval spans from the database establishment to January 2024, and the database consists of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), China Biological literature database (CBM), Wanfang Database and VIP Database. Network meta-analysis was performed by Stata 16.0 software. RESULTS: Thirty-nine studies involving 5310 nursing students met our inclusion criteria, and a total of 6 teaching methods were analyzed. According to the surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) ranking, problem-based learning (PBL) was most effective in enhancing the knowledge mastery of geriatric nursing, while simulation-based learning (SBL) demonstrated the best application effect in improving nursing students' attitude toward the elderly. When considering both knowledge acquisition and attitude improvement simultaneously, service learning combined with traditional teaching method (SL+TTM) was found to exhibit the most optimal effectiveness. CONCLUSION: Educators in geriatric nursing education should prioritize the adoption of PBL, SBL and SL + TTM to enhance nursing students' knowledge and attitude. PROTOCOL REGISTRY: PROSPERO (CRD42023442001).

Fe(III) transporter OsYSL15 may play a key role in the uptake of Cr(III) in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Due to the widely discharge of chromium (Cr) by mining and smelting industries, etc., contamination of paddy soils and rice has become serious problems. Therefore it is crucial to explore how rice takes up Cr. Cr(III) is the most common Cr form in the long-term water flooding paddy soils. Here, we demonstrate that OsYSL15, a key gene for Fe(III) uptake, is equally applicable for Cr(III) uptake in rice. Firstly, the antagonistic effect of Cr(III) and Fe(III) in the uptake process was found. Rice could accumulate more Cr(III) under Fe-deficient conditions. And the Fe(III) content in the protoplasts of rice root cells gradually decreased with the increase exposure of Cr(III). Knockdown of OsYSL15 in rice significantly reduced the Cr(III) uptake rate. Compared with wild type rice, the accumulation of Cr(III) in OsYSL15 mutant was decreased by 40.7%- 70.6% after gene editing. These results indicate that OsYSL15 is a key gene responsible for Cr(III) uptake in rice, which can guide the screening or genetic modification for low-Cr-accumulation rice varieties.

Comparative impact of bacitracin and select feed additives in the feeding program of Lohmann LSL-Lite pullets at the onset of lay through to 31 weeks of age.

There are limited investigations on the role of feed additives in easing transition of pullets to egg production phase. We investigated the effects of supplementation of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) and select feed additives (myristic acid [MA], benzoic acid [BA], and Aspergillus niger probiotic [PRO]) in feeding program for pullets from the onset of lay through to 31 weeks of age (woa). Parameters measured included hen-day egg production (HDEP), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg quality characteristics, ceca microbial activity, apparent retention of components, and plasma metabolites. A total of 1,200 Lohmann LSL Lite pullets were procured at 18 woa and placed in enriched cages (30 birds/cage) based on body weight (BW) and allocated to five diets. The diets were a basal diet formulated to meet specifications or basal mixed with either BMD, MA, BA, or PRO. Birds had free access to feed and water throughout the experiment. Between 18 and 20 woa, birds fed BMD ate a similar (P > 0.05) amount of feed to BA birds, but more (P = 0.0003) than birds fed basal, MA, or PRO diets. Basal birds had lower HDEP (P = 0.001) and lighter eggs (P < 0.0001) than birds fed any of the feed additives between 21 and 31 woa. The basal hens had a higher (P = 0.009) abundance of Escherichia coli than birds fed BMD, BA, and PRO diets. Consequently, BMD, BA, and PRO birds had a higher (P = 0.011) Lactobacilli: E. coli ratio (LER) than hens fed the basal diet. Specifically, relative to basal-fed hens, the LER of the BMD, MA, BA, and PRO hens was higher by 37%, 21%, 26%, and 45%, respectively. Moreover, birds fed PRO tended to have a higher concentration of ceca digesta acetic acid (P = 0.072) and a lower concentration of isobutyric acid (P = 0.096). In conclusion, supplementing pullet diets with broad-spectrum antibiotics or feed additives (MA, BA, and PRO) had a positive impact on FI, and egg production linked to modulation of indices of gut health. The results suggested supplementing feed additives in feeding programs for pullets at the onset of lay can bolster productivity outcomes.

PARP14 correlates with GBM proliferation and poor prognosis by elevating expression of SAMD/SAMD9L.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma(GBM) is the most common primary tumor of the central nervous system with an extremely dismal prognosis. Many progresses have been made such as the discovery of new molecular biomarkers and target drugs especially IDH inhibitors. However, GBM prognosis is still poor, which requires more biomarkers and drug targets for more precision classification and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Potential prognostic biomarkers of GBM were screened by TCGA database, and ectopic up-regulation of PARP14 was identified. Expression and clinical significance of PARP14 were detected in our GBM cohort consisting of 143 patients with gross total surgical resection. Related genes with PARP14 were further screened and identified by in silico analysis and in vitro experiments. The expression and prognostic significance of SAMD9 and SAMD9L were verified with IHC and survival analysis in our cohort. RESULTS: PARP14 was up-regulated in GBM compared with non-tumor adjacent tissues. PARP14 correlated with poor prognosis and can be regarded as an independent prognostic biomarker of GBM. PARP14 expression was positively associated with SAMD9 and SAMD9L in GBM. In GBM cells, PARP14 could increase the expression of SAMD9 and SAMD9L. SAMD9 and SAMD9L were highly expressed in high-PARP14 subset and were both prognostic biomarkers of GBM. Moreover, PARP14 increased GBM proliferation by inducing SAMD9 and SAMD9L expression. CONCLUSIONS: PARP14, SAMD9, and SAMD9L are prognostic biomarkers of GBM predicting poor prognosis. PARP14 promotes GBM cell proliferation by inducing SAMD9 and SAMD9L expression. Our results indicate that PARP14/SAMD9/SAMD9L are prognostic biomarkers and potential drug targets of GBM.

Mitigating growth-stress tradeoffs via elevated TOR signaling in rice.

Rice production accounts for approximately half of the freshwater resources utilized in agriculture, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions such as methane (CH4) from flooded paddy fields. To address this challenge, environmentally friendly and cost-effective water-saving techniques have become widely adopted in rice cultivation. However, the implementation of water-saving treatments (WSTs) in paddy-field rice has been associated with a substantial yield loss of up to 50% as well as a reduction in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). In this study, we discovered that the target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway is compromised in rice under WST. Polysome profiling-coupled transcriptome sequencing (polysome-seq) analysis unveiled a substantial reduction in global translation in response to WST associated with the downregulation of TOR activity. Molecular, biochemical, and genetic analyses revealed new insights into the impact of the positive TOR-S6K-RPS6 and negative TOR-MAF1 modules on translation repression under WST. Intriguingly, ammonium exhibited a greater ability to alleviate growth constraints under WST by enhancing TOR signaling, which simultaneously promoted uptake and utilization of ammonium and nitrogen allocation. We further demonstrated that TOR modulates the ammonium transporter AMT1;1 as well as the amino acid permease APP1 and dipeptide transporter NPF7.3 at the translational level through the 5' untranslated region. Collectively, these findings reveal that enhancing TOR signaling could mitigate rice yield penalty due to WST by regulating the processes involved in protein synthesis and NUE. Our study will contribute to the breeding of new rice varieties with increased water and fertilizer utilization efficiency.

An atlas of itch-associated neural dynamics in the mouse brain.

The itch-scratching cycle is mediated by neural dynamics in the brain. However, our understanding of the neural dynamics during this cycle remains limited. In this study, we examine the neural dynamics of 126 mouse brain areas by measuring the calcium signal using fiber photometry. We present numerous response patterns in the mouse brain during the itch-scratching cycle. Interestingly, we find that a group of brain areas exhibit activation only at the end of histamine-induced scratching behavior. Additionally, several brain areas exhibit transient activation at the onset of scratching induced by chloroquine. Both histamine- and chloroquine-induced itch evoke diverse response patterns across the mouse brain. In summary, our study provides a comprehensive dataset for the diverse activity pattern of mouse brain during the itch-scratching cycle, paving the way for further exploration into the neural mechanisms underlying the itch-scratching cycle.

Frameless Robot-Assisted Asleep Centromedian Thalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery in Patients with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Technical Description and Short-Term Clinical Results.

INTRODUCTION: This purpose of this work is to give a detailed description of a surgical technique for frameless robot-assisted asleep deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the centromedian thalamic nucleus (CMT) in drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). METHODS: Ten consecutively enrolled patients who underwent CMT-DBS were included in the study. The FreeSurfer "Thalamic Kernel Segmentation" module and experience target coordinates were used for locating the CMT, and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) images were used to check the target. The patient's head was secured with a head clip, and electrode implantation was performed with the assistance of the neurosurgical robot Sinovation®. After opening the dura, the burr hole was continuously flushed with physiological saline to stop air from entering the skull. All procedures were performed under general anesthesia without intraoperative microelectrode recording (MER). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients at surgery and onset of seizures was 22 years (range 11-41 years) and 11 years (range 1-21 years), respectively. The median duration of seizures before CMT-DBS surgery was 10 years (2-26 years). CMT was successfully segmented, and its position was verified by experience target coordinates and QSM images in all ten patients. The mean surgical time for bilateral CMT-DBS in this cohort was 165 ± 18 min. The mean pneumocephalus volume was 2 cm3. The median absolute errors in the x-, y-, and z-axes were 0.7 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.9 mm, respectively. The median Euclidean distance (ED) and radial error (RE) was 1.3 ± 0.5 mm and 1.0 ± 0.3 mm, respectively. No significant difference was found between right- and left-sided electrodes regarding the RE nor the ED. After a mean 12-month follow-up, the average reduction in seizures was 61%, and six patients experienced a ≥ 50% reduction in seizures, including one patient who had no seizures after the operation. All patients tolerated the anesthesia operation, and no permanent or serious complications were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Frameless robot-assisted asleep surgery is a precise and safe approach for placing CMT electrodes in patients with DRE, shortening the surgery time. The segmentation of the thalamic nuclei enables the precise location of the CMT, and the flow of physiological saline to seal the burr holes is a good way to reduce the influx of air. CMT-DBS is an effective method to reduce seizures.

Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions in females with overactive bladder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To compare and rank the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for symptoms of Overactive Bladder (OAB) in network meta-analysis. BACKGROUND: Overactive Bladder affects many patients, which often generates bothersome symptoms and debilitates the quality of life. Non-pharmacological therapies have been widely used in OAB. However, due to insufficient evidence, it remains unclear which strategies are most suitable for OAB. METHODS: We integrated randomised controlled trials (RCTs), which were searched up to 1 January 2021, from 8 databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and China Biology Medicine disc). Studies that met the eligible criteria were assessed the risk of bias. Then, network meta-analyses were conducted by STATA, R, and OpenBUGS. The review followed PRISMA statement. RESULTS: A total of 24 studies comprising 2347 patients with OAB were included in this review, most of which were low to moderate risk of bias. The results of network meta-analysis implied that electric stimulation (ES) was the most effective intervention to reduce voided frequency and nocturia frequency of OAB. CONCLUSIONS: Electric stimulation ranked the best in the management of OAB, and future studies should pay more attention to ES.

The accuracy of a novel self-tapping bone fiducial marker for frameless robot-assisted stereo-electro-encephalography implantation and registration techniques.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the accuracy and safety of a novel self-tapping bone fiducial as a registration technique for stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) implantation. METHODS: Each patient was installed with five bone fiducial markers. All procedures were performed using the same Sinovation robot system. The accuracy was determined by calculating the target point error (TPE) and the entry point error (EPE) of electrodes. RESULTS: Fourteen patients underwent SEEG implantation surgery; and the average installation time of the markers per patient was 86.1 s. In the operating theatre, the average registration time was 206.6 s, and the average registration error was 0.18 mm. The average TPE of 174 electrodes was 1.98 mm and the average EPE was 0.88 mm. CONCLUSION: Our study provided a bone fiducial marker installation and registration technique that was convenient and fast, highly accurate in registration, and highly tolerated by patients.

Porous LaFeO3 perovskite catalysts synthesized by different methods and their high activities for CO oxidation.

In this study, spherical α-Fe2O3 prepared by the hydrothermal method was used as a template for the first time; LaFeO3 perovskite catalysts were successfully synthesized by the molten salt method (M-LF-T), sol-gel method (S-LF-T), and co-precipitation method (C-LF-T), respectively. To determine the optimal synthesis method, X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained and showed that single phase LaFeO3 with good crystallinity was prepared by the molten salt method after calcination at 600 °C for 4 h. SEM and TEM images showed that the M-LF-600 catalyst preserved the spherical structure of α-Fe2O3 template. Compared with the catalysts synthesized by the sol-gel method and co-precipitation method, the M-LF-600 catalyst had the highest BET surface area of 16.73 m2 g-1. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the M-LF-600 catalyst had the highest surface Fe3+/Fe2+ molar ratio and the best surface oxygen adsorption capacity. The CO oxidation of the LaFeO3 catalyst demonstrated that the M-LF-600 catalyst had the best catalytic performance.

Robot-Assisted Percutaneous Balloon Compression for Trigeminal Neuralgia: Technique Description and Short-Term Clinical Results.

Objective: Percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) is a minimally invasive treatment for trigeminal neuralgia (TG) with a favorable cost-effectiveness ratio, but this technique has a steep learning curve. This study presents our initial clinical experience of robot-assisted PBC using a neurosurgical robot on six consecutive patients with TG. Methods: We fixed the patient's head with a skull clamp and connected it with the linkage arms of a Sinovation® neurosurgical robot, which was then registered using four bone fiducials by the robotic pointer. The puncture needle was positioned at the entry point on the skin using a robotic arm and advanced to the target point after the skin had been incised with a pointed surgical blade. This procedure was repeated for a second trajectory. A balloon was then advanced and inflated using 0.3 ml of a contrast agent. Upon injection of 0.6 ml contrast agent, the ganglion was kept compressed for 120 s. After removal of the balloon and puncture needle, compression of the face was performed to achieve hemostasis. Results: All patients achieved immediate pain relief following PBC. No permanent or severe complications were registered, and there was no pain recurrence in any of the patients during the follow-up period. Conclusions: Despite requiring a longer time for preoperative preparation, robot-assisted PBC provided a high degree of accuracy and safety, and it can also shorten the learning curve for surgeons unfamiliar with PBC. Robot-assisted surgical approaches should be further developed and adopted for PBC.

Hot Deformation Behavior, Processing Maps and Microstructural Evolution of the Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr Alloy.

Isothermal hot compression experiments were conducted on Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy to investigate hot deformation behavior at the temperature range of 573-773 K and the strain rate range of 0.001 s-1-10 s-1 using a Gleeble-3500D thermomechanical simulator. The results showed that the rheological curve showed a typical work hardening stage, and there were three different stages: work hardening, transition and steady state. A strain compensation constitutive model was established to predict the flow stress of the Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy, and the results proved that it had high predictability. The main deformation mechanism of the Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy was dislocation climbing. The processing maps were established to distinguish the unstable region from the working region. The maps showed that the instability generally occurred at high strain rates and low temperatures, and the common forms of instability were cracking and flow localization. The optimum machining range of the alloy was determined to be 592-773 K and 0.001-0.217 s-1. With the increase in deformation temperature, the grain size of the alloy grew slowly at the 573-673 K temperature range and rapidly at the 673-773 K temperature range.

Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions in patients with overactive bladder: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Some meta-analyses have proved the superiority of non-pharmacological interventions in overactive bladder (OAB), but the best choice is still controversial. AIM: To assess the most effective interventions in female with OAB. METHODS: Studies for relevant randomized controlled trials which compare different kinds of non-pharmacological interventions in females with OAB will be retrieved from 8 databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database and China Biology Medicine disc, from inception to 1 January 2021. After screening titles and abstracts, detailed data including participates, interventions and outcomes will be extracted according to the eligible criteria. Then, Cochrane risk-of-bias tool will be used to assess the quality of the literature. The pairwise meta-analysis will be conducted by STATA. Network meta-analysis will be performed to compare and rank the effects of different non-pharmacological interventions, in terms of alleviation of symptoms, by OpenBUGS, R and STATA. RESULTS: This network meta-analysis will present the best available evidence about non-pharmacological interventions for OAB to both relieve symptoms and improve life quality.

The Room Temperature Fracture Behaviors of GNPs/TA15 Composites by Pre-Sintering and Hot Extrusion.

Graphene nanoplates (GNPs)/TA15 composites were fabricated by pre-sintering and hot extrusion. During a room temperature tensile test, the dislocation was generated in grains. With increasing strain, the dislocation piled up along the interface between GNPs and Ti matrix, leading to stress concentration and microcracks. Then, the microcracks extended to GNPs or along the interface. The GNPs cracked under the shear force and the GNPs pulled out along with the crack propagation along the interface. This work provides a new sight in the room temperature tensile fracture behaviors.

Different roles of subcortical inputs in V1 responses to luminance and contrast.

Cells in the primary visual cortex (V1) generally respond weakly to large uniform luminance stimuli. Only a subset of V1 cells is thought to encode uniform luminance information. In natural scenes, local luminance is an important feature for defining an object that varies and coexists with local spatial contrast. However, the strategies used by V1 cells to encode local mean luminance for spatial contrast stimuli remain largely unclear. Here, using extracellular recordings in anesthetized cats, we investigated the responses of V1 cells by comparing with those of retinal ganglion (RG) cells and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) cells to simultaneous and rapid changes in luminance and spatial contrast. Almost all V1 cells exhibited a strong monotonic increasing luminance tuning when they were exposed to high spatial contrast. Thus, V1 cells encode the luminance carried by spatial contrast stimuli with the monotonically increasing response function. Moreover, high contrast decreased luminance tuning of OFF cells but increased that of in ON cells in RG and LGN. The luminance and contrast tunings of LGN ON cells were highly separable as V1 cells, whereas those of LGN OFF cells were lowly separable. These asymmetrical effects of spatial contrast on ON/OFF channels might underlie the robust ability of V1 cells to perform luminance tuning when exposed to spatial contrast stimuli.

Transcription factor CsDOF regulates glutamine metabolism in tea plants (Camellia sinensis).

Glutamine plays a critical role in ammonium assimilation, and contributes substantially to the taste and nutritional quality of tea. To date, little research has been done on glutamine synthesis in tea plants. Here, a zinc finger protein CsDOF and a glutamine synthetase (GS)-encoding gene CsGS2 from tea plant (Camellia sinensis cv 'Shuchazao') were characterized, and their role in glutamine biosynthesis was determined using transient suppression assays in tea leaves and overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana. The expression patterns of CsDOF and CsGS2, the GS activity and the glutamine content of photosynthetic tissues (leaf and bud) were significantly induced by shade. Suppressing the expression of CsDOF resulted in downregulated expression of CsGS2 and reduction of the leaf glutamine content. Moreover, in CsDOF-silenced plants, the expression of CsDOF and the glutamine content under shade treatment were higher than in natural light. The glutamine content and CsGS2 transcript level were also decreased in tea leaves when CsGS2 was suppressed, while they were higher under shade treatment than in natural light in CsGS2-silenced plants. In addition, the glutamine content and GS2 transcript level were increased when CsDOF and CsGS2 was overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively. In binding analyses, CsDOF directly bound to an AAAG motif in the promoter of CsGS2, and promotes its activity. The study shed new light on the molecular mechanism by which CsDOF activates CsGS2 gene expression and contributes to glutamine biosynthesis in tea plants.

The Parabrachial Nucleus Directly Channels Spinal Nociceptive Signals to the Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei, but Not the Amygdala.

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) is one of the major targets of spinal projection neurons and plays important roles in pain. However, the architecture of the spinoparabrachial pathway underlying its functional role in nociceptive information processing remains elusive. Here, we report that the PBN directly relays nociceptive signals from the spinal cord to the intralaminar thalamic nuclei (ILN). We demonstrate that the spinal cord connects with the PBN in a bilateral manner and that the ipsilateral spinoparabrachial pathway is critical for nocifensive behavior. We identify Tacr1-expressing neurons as the major neuronal subtype in the PBN that receives direct spinal input and show that these neurons are critical for processing nociceptive information. Furthermore, PBN neurons receiving spinal input form functional monosynaptic excitatory connections with neurons in the ILN, but not the amygdala. Together, our results delineate the neural circuit underlying nocifensive behavior, providing crucial insight into the circuit mechanism underlying nociceptive information processing.

Tac1-Expressing Neurons in the Periaqueductal Gray Facilitate the Itch-Scratching Cycle via Descending Regulation.

Uncontrollable itch-scratching cycles lead to serious skin damage in patients with chronic itch. However, the neural mechanism promoting the itch-scratching cycle remains elusive. Here, we report that tachykinin 1 (Tac1)-expressing glutamatergic neurons in the lateral and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (l/vlPAG) facilitate the itch-scratching cycle. We found that l/vlPAG neurons exhibited scratching-behavior-related neural activity and that itch-evoked scratching behavior was impaired after suppressing the activity of l/vlPAG neurons. Furthermore, we showed that the activity of Tac1-expressing glutamatergic neurons in the l/vlPAG was elevated during itch-induced scratching behavior and that ablating or suppressing the activity of these neurons decreased itch-induced scratching behavior. Importantly, activation of Tac1-expressing neurons induced robust spontaneous scratching and grooming behaviors. The scratching behavior evoked by Tac1-expressing neuron activation was suppressed by ablation of spinal neurons expressing gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), the key relay neurons for itch. These results suggest that Tac1-expressing neurons in the l/vlPAG promote itch-scratching cycles.