焦虑是咽炎患者中非常常见的疾病,但是这些疾病之间的关系很少受到研究关注,潜在的神经机制仍然未知。这里,我们表明,密集的神经支配咽将咽部炎症诱导的信号传递给小鼠的颈/颈/岩(NJP)超神经节的舌咽和迷走神经感觉神经元。具体来说,NJP超神经节投射到孤束核(NTSNE)中的去甲肾上腺素能神经元。这些NTSNE神经元投射到末端纹状体(vBNST)的腹床核,在小鼠模型的咽部炎症中诱导焦虑样行为。抑制咽部→NJP→NTSNE→vBNST回路可缓解与咽部炎症相关的焦虑样行为。因此,这项研究定义了咽到脑轴,该轴在机械上将咽部炎症和情绪反应联系起来。
Anxiety is a remarkably common condition among patients with pharyngitis, but the relationship between these disorders has received little research attention, and the underlying neural mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show that the densely innervated pharynx transmits signals induced by pharyngeal inflammation to glossopharyngeal and vagal sensory neurons of the nodose/jugular/petrosal (NJP) superganglia in mice. Specifically, the NJP superganglia project to norepinephrinergic neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTSNE). These NTSNE neurons project to the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST) that induces anxiety-like behaviors in a murine model of pharyngeal inflammation. Inhibiting this pharynx→NJP→NTSNE→vBNST circuit can alleviate anxiety-like behaviors associated with pharyngeal inflammation. This study thus defines a pharynx-to-brain axis that mechanistically links pharyngeal inflammation and emotional response.