Noxious Mechanosensation

Patrick Delmas (1) , Sergiy M Korogod (2) , Bertrand Coste (1)

1 CRN2M - Centre de recherche en neurobiologie - neurophysiologie de Marseille
2 NASU / НАН України - National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine = Національна академія наук України = Académie nationale des sciences d'Ukraine

This article introduces a number of critical features of mechanical transduction and neuronal sensory coding with particular reference to mechanical pain. High threshold mechanoreceptors (HTMRs) in skin are the first relay point for the transduction of noxious mechanical force into the nervous system and their properties determine how and when nociceptive signal is relayed up to the central nervous system. The article describes the structure and physiology of the mechano-nociceptors and explains the peripheral molecular mechanisms of transduction leading to mechanical pain. In addition, this article also describes a set of computer models of HTMRs and relevant ion channels representing structural and biophysical features of the biological prototype. A better understanding of HTMRs' function may lead to the development of novel therapeutic pathways in the treatment of chronic mechanical pain.

Mots clés: pain; mechanonociception; inflammation; neuropathic pain; sensory neurons; mechanosensitive channels; piezo; Nav1.9; Kv1.1; ectopic discharges; modeling pain 2

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]; Neurosciences [q-bio.NC]

Patrick Delmas, Sergiy M Korogod, Bertrand Coste. Noxious Mechanosensation. The Oxford Handbook of the Neurobiology of Pain, pp.1-41, 2019, ⟨10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190860509.013.14⟩. ⟨hal-02346216⟩