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Mateusz Kucharczyk1,2
1 Łukasiewicz Research Network–PORT Polish Centre for Technology Development, Wrocław, Poland;
2Wolfson Sensory, Pain, and Regeneration Centre, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
Neuronal pathways travel from the brain to the spinal cord to influence somatosensation. They regulate spinal and primary sensory neuron activity, enabling the brain to finely tune signal levels transmitted through the spinal cord and govern the periphery via neurogenic mechanisms. Our laboratory's dual focus on the somatosensory system and cancer neuroscience seeks to uncover the system's involvement in neurogenic mechanisms governing tumorigenesis and related pain. Employing a combination of in vivo electrophysiology and calcium imaging with selective opto- and chemogenetic modulation of genetically and anatomically defined neuronal circuits, we sample the activity in the spinal and peripheral neurons and correlate this activity with behavioural responses using machine learning-supported analysis. We aim to link network-wide brain activity with top-down ability to influence both nociception and tumorigenesis. In this pursuit, we aspire to forge innovative therapies for cancer and associated pain, rooted in a deep understanding of neuronal systems
Felipe Meira de-Faria
Laboratory of Sensory Perception Mechanisms, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
Peripheral sensory neurons (PSN) exhibit considerable diversity and specialization. These neurons are organized in pairs within the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) alongside the spinal cord, projecting their terminals to end organs. The anatomical distribution of PSN can be assessed through retrograde labelling, while DRG live imaging enables the investigation of bodily sensations' organization with real-time exploration of functional properties and dynamics across various PSN types. Concurrently, single-cell sequencing has transformed our understanding of cellular heterogeneity by capturing the transcriptomic landscape of each individual neuron. The integration of cell labelling and in vivo monitoring of PSN activities with their molecular profiles represents a powerful paradigm for comprehensively characterizing PSN populations. In my presentation, I will guide you through the intricacies of live imaging of PSN in mice and discuss how its integration with labelling and single-cell sequencing can help unravel the intricate details of sensory neuron subtypes.
Basil Duvernoy1, Ewa Jarocka1, Emma Kinström1, Anders Fridberger1, and Sarah McIntyre1
1Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58183 Linköping, Sweden
Tactile mechanoreceptors consist of neurons whose afferents innervate end-organs embedded in the skin. The characteristics of human mechanoreceptors are usually inferred from the properties of stimuli acting on the skin surface in human studies. Alternatively, insights are gained from animal studies where end organs can be isolated from the skin for direct stimulation and observation. However, these approaches fall short in capturing how the stimulus is altered as it traverses the various layers of the skin, essential information to understand the role of the skin, the end-organs structures, and their locations in the skin. In this presentation, we will introduce an imaging technique that enables the tracking of skin deformations in-depth in vivo. By combining this method with microneurography, we aim to demonstrate the neuronal responses of tactile mechanoreceptors in relation to skin deformations at the locations of end organs in humans, highlighting the relationship between skin mechanics, the end-organs structure, and their preferred locations in the skin.
Funding: Research supported by the Swedish Research Council, project grant to SM (2020-01085).
