Subpopulation of dorsal horn neurons displays enhanced N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor function after chronic morphine exposure

Background: Morphine tolerance may be attributed to enhancement of glutamatergic neurotransmission, in particular to increased function of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. The cellular mechanisms responsible for these changes remain poorly defined. The authors identified and characterized a specific subpopulation of dorsal horn neurons, displaying NMDA receptor plasticity in response to chronic morphine administration. Methods: The authors undertook current clamped and voltage clamped recordings of NMDA receptor-mediated responses from cultured rat dorsal horn neurons that were untreated or treated for 7 days with I or 100 tot morphine. Results: Smaller (capacitance <= 22 pF), tonic firing neurons showed a significantly enhanced NMDA receptor-mediated peak current after prolonged morphine treatment, whereas larger and phasic firing neurons showed no enhancement. With high-concentration but not low-concentration morphine treatment, Mg2+ blockade of NMDA receptors at resting membrane potentials was reduced. Furthermore, the chronic opioid-induced increase in NMDA current was attenuated by pretreatment with either a mu-opioid receptor inhibitor (naloxone) or an NMDA receptor inhibitor (2-amino-5-posphotiovalerate) (low-concentration > high-concentration morphine). Conclusions: In an electrophysiologically defined subpopulation of dorsal horn neurons, enhanced NMDA receptor function after chronic morphine exposure was shown to be mechanistically dependent on morphine concentration and sensitive to both NMDA and mu-opioid receptor antagonism. Therefore, these changes observed in this population of sensory spinal neurons can be used to study the development and prevention of opioid tolerance described in multiple laboratory and clinical reports.