Impaired endocannabinoid signalling in the rostral ventromedial medulla underpins genotype-dependent hyper-responsivity to noxious stimuli.

Abstract Pain is both a sensory and an emotional experience, and is subject to modulation by a number of factors including genetic background modulating stress/affect. The Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rat exhibits a stress-hyper-responsive and depressive-like phenotype and increased sensitivity to noxious stimuli, compared with other rat strains. Here, we show that this genotype-dependent hyperalgesia is associated with impaired pain-related mobilisation of endocannabinoids and transcription of their synthesising enzymes in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). Pharmacological blockade of the Cannabinoid 1 (CB 1 ) receptor potentiates the hyperalgesia in WKY rats, whereas inhibition of the endocannabinoid catabolising enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase, attenuates the hyperalgesia. The latter effect is mediated by CB 1 receptors in the RVM. Together, these behavioural, neurochemical, and molecular data indicate that impaired endocannabinoid signalling in the RVM underpins hyper-responsivity to noxious stimuli in a genetic background prone to heightened stress/affect.