Optical imaging of presynaptic events: presynaptic regulation of pain information

Presynaptic control is now believed to play major roles in the neuronal functions including the induction of synaptic plasticity, the regulation of synaptic transmission and in the development of the nervous system. We have been studying the sensory signal transmission in the spinal dorsal horn where primary afferent fibers from the skin, muscle and viscera terminate, and sensory information is first processed. Results suggest that vanilloid receptors at the afferent terminals in the dorsal horn may be important in sensing and responding to the body temperature and the body pH.