Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Florencia Vassallu | Email: florencia.vassallu@gmail.com
Florencia Vassallu1°2°, Lucas Muzio1°2°, Agustín Chamorro1°2°, Milagros López1°2°, María Jesús Trujillo1°2°, Agostina Presta1°2°, Fernando Kasanetz1°2°, Lionel Muller Igaz1°2°
1° Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2° CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO Houssay). Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chronic neuropathic pain (NP) is a severe neurological condition characterized by nociceptive sensitization and the enduring emergence of cognitive and emotional impairments. The latter, which dramatically affects the quality of life of patients, is believed to arise from structural and functional plasticity of the brain on different spatial scales. While the occurrence of synaptic and dendritic plasticity is well documented, the role of neurodegeneration and related cellular abnormalities in NP’s pathophysiology remains unclear. To gain insight into this, we used an established rodent model to investigate neurodegeneration at long-term periods after the induction of NP. Using immunofluorescence against the neuronal marker NeuN, we first analyzed structures at both low and high magnification to assess gross neurodegeneration in target cortical regions. The somatosensory cortex, hippocampal CA1, and dentate gyrus regions showed no significant change in thickness between NP and control mice. To identify subtler changes in neuronal loss, we measured NeuN+ cell density at higher magnification in these same structures, as well as in the anterior insular and prefrontal cortices. The number of neurons in these areas was preserved upon NP. We are currently evaluating neurodegeneration in additional regions and analysing the levels, distribution, and aggregation of TDP-43, a protein that plays a central role in the pathogenic process of multiple neurodegenerative diseases.