Academic Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences, 2025, 6(4); doi: 10.25236/AJMHS.2025.060405.
Yongyuan Yang1, Xianghong Jing2, Man Li3
1First school of Clinical Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine DongFang College, Hebei, China
2Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
3School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation of Ministry of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
The article explores the complex role of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in pain modulation mechanisms and its correlation with electroacupuncture (EA) analgesia. As a crucial relay station in the descending pain modulation system, the PAG can attenuate pain signals. The review discusses how PAG regulates various types of painful conditions and how PAG contributes to EA analgesia. Additionally, we explore the pivotal role of neurotransmitters and their receptors, such as GABA and GABA receptors, CB1 and OX1 receptors, TRPV1, nACh receptors, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2), in orchestrating the PAG's analgesic effect, as well as EA analgesia. Finally, we investigated the role of PAG PAG-associated neural circuit for chronic pain. These therapeutic approaches harness the PAG's ability to regulate pain perception and EA analgesia. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the role and mechanism of PAG in pain regulation and EA analgesia in recent years, and propose prospects for follow-up research, with the aim of exploring new targets for PAG in pain regulation and tapping into the potential of EA intervention.
periaqueductal gray (PAG); Pain modulation; electroacupuncture; GABA; CB
Yongyuan Yang, Xianghong Jing, Man Li. The Role of the Periaqueductal Gray in Pain Modulation and Electroacupuncture Analgesia: A Literature Review. Academic Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences(2025), Vol. 6, Issue 4: 27-33. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJMHS.2025.060405.
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