Pain relief induces dopamine release in the rat nucleus accumbens during the early but not late phase of neuropathic pain

• Reward-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of neuropathic pain rats.
• Pain relief and sucrose solutions were given as rewards to neuropathic pain rats.
• Reward increased dopamine release during the early but not late phase of pain.
• Neuropathic pain may induce mesolimbic dopamine system dysfunction.

Comorbidity of chronic pain and depression has long been recognized in the clinic, and preclinical studies have reported depression-like behaviors in animal models of chronic pain. These findings suggest a common neuronal basis for chronic pain and depression. The neuronal pathway from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is critical in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) reward circuit, and dysfunction of this pathway has been implicated in depression. Although time-dependent development of depression-related behaviors has been reported in chronic pain animals, time-dependent functional changes in this pathway remain to be examined. To address this issue, we examined the effects of two types of rewards, pain relief by intrathecal injection of pregabalin (100 μg in 10 μL phosphate buffered saline) and 30% sucrose solution intake, on intra-NAc DA release in rats subjected to spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Specifically, the effects were investigated during the early (17–20 days after ligation) and late (31–34 days after ligation) phases of neuropathic pain. Pain relief increased the intra-NAc DA levels in the SNL rats during the early but not late phase of neuropathic pain. Intake of the sucrose solution increased the intra-NAc DA levels both in the SNL and sham animals during the early phase of neuropathic pain, while it induced DA release in the sham but not SNL animals during the late phase. These results suggest that dysfunction of the mesolimbic DA reward circuit develops in a time-dependent manner. Mesolimbic DA reward circuit dysfunction might be a common neuronal mechanism underlying chronic pain and depression, and a potential target for novel analgesic and antidepressant medications.