Mechanisms of trigeminal pain modulation.

We are interested in how pain from the head and neck region is processed in as it enters the spinal cord and medullary dorsal horn. To this end we use a combination of whole cell patch clamp electrophysiology (rig below) and histology.

We are based at The University of Melbourne in the Depatment of Anatomy & Cell Biology. We are also part of the National Neuroscience Facitlity (cellular neuroscience platform).

Publications

Coggeshall, RE, Jennings, EA & Fitzgerald, M. (1996). Evidence that large myelinated primary afferent fibers make synaptic contacts in lamina II of neonatal rats. Developmental Brain Research 92(1), 81-90.

Jennings, E & Fitzgerald, M. (1996). C-fos can be induced in the neonatal rat spinal cord by both noxious and innocuous peripheral stimulation. Pain 68(2-3), 301-306.

Boucher, T, Jennings, E & Fitzgerald, M. (1998). The onset of diffuse noxious inhibitory controls in postnatal rat pups: a C-Fos study. Neuroscience Letters 257(1), 9-12.

Jennings, E. & Fitzgerald, M. (1998). Postnatal changes in responses of rat dorsal horn cells to afferent stimulation: A fibre-induced sensitization. Journal of Physiology (London) 509, 859-868.

Fitzgerald, M. & Jennings, E. (1999). The postnatal development of spinal sensory processing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 96,7719-7722.

Connor, M., Vaughan, C. W., Jennings, E. A., Allen, R. G. & Christie, M. J. (1999). Nociceptin, Phe1Y-nociceptin1-13, nocistatin and prepronociceptin154-181 effects on calcium channel currents and a potassium current in rat locus coeruleus in vitro. British Journal of Pharmacology 128,1779-1787.

Jennings, E. A. (2001). Postsynaptic Potassium current induced by Nociceptin in medullary dorsal horn neurons. Neuroreport 12 (3), 645-648.

Jennings, E. A., Vaughan, C. W, Christie, M. J., (2001). Cannabinoid actions on rat superficial medullary horn neurones, in vitro. Journal of Physiology (London)534, 805-812.

Vaughan, C.W., Connor, M., Jennings, E. A., Marinelli, S., Christie, M. J. (2001). Actions of nociceptin/ orphan FQ and other prepronociceptin products on rostro-ventral medulla neurons in vitro. Journal of Physiology (London)534, 849-859.

Jennings, E.A., Vaughan, C.W., Roberts, L.A., Christie, M.J (2003). The actions of anandamide on rat superficial medullary dorsal horn neurons, in vitro. Journal of Physiology (London)548: 121-129.

Jennings, E.A., Ryan, R.M., Christie, M.J. (2004). The effects of sumatriptan on rat superficial medullary dorsal horn neurons. Pain111: 30-37.

If you have difficulty getting any of these references then please contact me via this link and I can send you the pdf or offprint.

Page last updated July 22, 2005