Figure 4.

elPBN neurons are dispensable for sustained somatic thermal and mechanical pain

A: Schematic of elPBN specific ibotenic acid (IBO) injection. B: Left, representative immunostaining images of NeuN (red) in elPBN after saline control or IBO injection. Right, quantification of NeuN⁺ cell number in elPBN after IBO injection (n=5 mice per group, including three males and two females). Scale bars: 200 μm for lower magnification, 20 μm for boxed higher magnification, respectively. C: No differences were observed in falling latencies from the rotarod between saline and IBO injection groups (n=7–8 mice per group). D–H: Reflexive response tests. No significant differences were observed in withdrawal responses to von Frey filament (D), brush (E), radiant heat (F), dry ice (G), and hot plate (H) stimulation (n=7–8 mice per group). I–K: elPBN-lesioned mice preserved licking behaviors in hot plate (I), skin pinching (J), and toe clipping (K) tests (n=7–8 mice per group). L: elPBN-lesioned mice (n=7–8 mice per group) showed reduced writhing behavior after acetic acid injection. M: Skin pinch- (left) or toe clip-induced (right) CPA in elPBN-lesioned mice (n=7 mice per group, including four males and three females). Panels C–L, five males and three females in saline group, four males and three females in IBO group. Green and red circles represent male and female mice, respectively. Data are mean±SEM, unpaired t-test. ns: No significance; ^**: P<0.01