Post doc University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
The plasticity mechanisms of the trigeminocervical complex (TCC, comprising the trigeminal nucleus caudalis and C1–C2 dorsal horn) in migraine remain unclear. To address this, we established a sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced migraine mouse model and developed a C2-based two-photon imaging platform to examine C2 neuronal activity. SNP-injected mice exhibited migraine-like behaviors, including light aversion and periorbital and occipital allodynia. Anatomical connectivity from the greater occipital nerve to the C2 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and subsequently to the dorsal horn (DH) was demonstrated using anterograde and retrograde tracers. Two-photon imaging revealed that SNP treatment does not alter C2 DRG calcium activity, raising the possibility that plasticity occurs downstream in the C2 DH.
Learning Objectives:
Explain how a sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced mouse model can mimic key migraine features, including occipital allodynia.
Describe the cervical sensory pathways from the occipital nerve to the dorsal horn.
Demonstrate how two-photon imaging reveals neuronal activity changes in the C2 dorsal root ganglion and dorsal horn.
