Final Report Summary - ADMIP (Activity-Dependent Maturation of Inhibitory Processing in the Spinal Dorsal Horn)
From both a technical and scientific perspective, this data is the first to delineate the selective function of an individual population of spinal interneurons using cutting edge intersectional genetic techniques. These intersectional tools are state of the art and have been developed in the Goulding lab, putting this research at the forefront of somatosensory research; using these fine manipulations, subpopulations of spinal parvalbumin interneurons have been selectively targeted and their function altered without the need for surgery or invasive viral injections, allowing the examination of these populations, and their role in acute sensory processing in situ. By providing information on the selective coding and inhibition of innocuous stimulation in the early postnatal period, and the role of late-expressing parvalbumin interneurons in this process, this project will also have social impact, by providing fundamental biological knowledge required for better management of infants in intensive care as well as adults in spontaneous pain states.