The effect of systemic morphine upon diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) in the rat: evidence for a lifting of certain descending inhibitory controls of dorsal horn convergent neurones

The effect of exogenous opiates upon diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) was investigated in intact anaesthetized rats. 58 convergent neurones, responding to both noxious and innocuous stimuli applied to their cutaneous receptive fields, were recorded at the lumbar level. These cells received A- and C-peripheral fibre inputs as shown by electrical stimulation of their receptive fields and were mainly located in the medial part of the dorsal horn. The immersion of the distal two-thirds of the tail in hot water (52 °C) induced strong inhibition of the responses to both A-(23%) and C-(69%) fibres. Post-effects of long duration were commonly observed after cessation of the conditioning stimulus. While systematic injection of morphine at a low dose-range (0.1–1 mg/kg) did not significantly affect the unconditioned responses, the DNIC-mediated inhibitions were profoundly altered. (a) DNIC of responses to C fibres were dose-dependently (P < 0.01) lifted by morphine: (b) the post-effects observed after cessation of conditioning stimuli were dose-dependently (P < 0.01) diminished; (c) DNIC of responses to A-fibre were similarly altered but this effect was less significant (P < 0.05); (d) DNIC of responses to sustained moderate pressure were greatly diminished by morphine (P < 0.01); and (e) these effects were specific since they were antagonized by the opiate antagonist, naloxone. In addition, they were shown to be stereospecific since while the dextrogyre stereoisomer, dextrorphan, was ineffective the levogyre derivative, levorphanol, induced a significant lifting of DNIC. It is concluded that morphine decreases the supraspinal inhibitory controls of dorsal horn convergent neurones, at least when these controls are triggered by noxious stimuli. Assuming that a basic somatosensory background activity (noise) is transmitted to higher centres by dorsal horn convergent neurones, and that the pain-signalling message is the contrast between the activity of the segmental pool of neurones induced by the noxious stimulus and the DNIC-mediated silence of the remaining neuronal population, it is proposed that, by a reduction in DNIC, low-dose morphine could restore the initial level of background activity, the final result being analgesia.