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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Nov 25.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Jan 25;135:104544. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104544

Figure 10: Opioid-Induced Microglia Reactivity Opposes Analgesia:

Figure 10:

1.) At the dorsal horn of the spinal cord- Microglia derived TNFα, IL-1β, and BDNF may increase the neuroactivity within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, this leads to an amplification of the pain signal that will be propagated to the pain processing centers of the brain. 2.) At the PAG-RVM network- Microglia derived TNFα, IL-1β, and BDNF may increase GABAergic tone within the PAG-RVM network. This results in increased GABAergic inhibition of the PAG-RVM network, thereby reducing the ability of this analgesic system to inhibit the pain signal at the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The effects of microglia reactivity at both the PAG-RVM network and the dorsal horn of the spinal cord would lead to a stronger pain signal reaching pain processing centers of the brain, thereby increasing the perception of pain (i.e., hyperalgesia).