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Comment
. 2021 Jan 6;109(1):3-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.012.

Sensory Symphonies: How Excitatory Spinal Cord Modules Orchestrate Behavior

Mark A Gradwell  1 , Victoria E Abraira  2
Affiliations
Comment

Sensory Symphonies: How Excitatory Spinal Cord Modules Orchestrate Behavior

Mark A Gradwell et al. Neuron. .

Abstract

In this issue of Neuron, Gatto et al. (2021) demonstrate that tactile reflexes are driven by excitatory modules defined by location, while Peirs et al. (2021) show that the circuits implicated in the conversion of touch to pain are defined by the nature of the injury.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. The Functional Organization of Excitatory Neurons within the Dorsal Horn
(A) Sensory inputs to the spinal cord dorsal horn display a modular organization: LI-IIo, pain and itch; LIIi-IV, touch; and LIV, proprioceptive. (B) Excitatory neurons within the dorsal horn are organized into spatially restricted modules that are molecularly heterogeneous. (C) Neuronal manipulation studies reveal that reflex behaviors are evoked by molecularly heterogeneous populations within discrete excitatory modules. *In the case of mechanical allodynia distinct circuits are activated in a context-dependent manner. Symbols represent molecularly distinct neuronal populations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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