{"id":{"repo_id":"uic","oai_identifier":"oai:figshare.com:article/31451890"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uic/oai:figshare.com:article/31451890","repository":{"repo_id":"uic","name":"University of Illinois - Chicago","base_url":"https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai"},"display":{"title":"Role of Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus Afferents in Symptoms of Withdrawal from Chronic Ethanol Exposure","abstract":"A significant number of individuals with alcohol use disorder struggle to maintain sobriety as a result of withdrawal symptoms including heightened pain sensitivity. Although common, the precise neural mechanisms underlying nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal are not well understood. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is a GABAergic region that plays a critical role in avoidance behavior, aversive signaling, and pain modulation. Accumulating data provides evidence of RMTg hyperactivity during acute withdrawal and points to a role for the RMTg in regulating withdrawal symptoms. Yet, the role of this region in withdrawal-induced changes in pain sensitivity and the afferents that promote RMTg activity during acute withdrawal are unknown. In this thesis, I examined the role of RMTg afferents in regulating hyperalgesia during acute withdrawal. I found that thermal hyperalgesia emerged early after the cessation of ethanol exposure and persisted into protracted withdrawal. cFos expression, a marker of recent neuronal activity, was significantly increased in both the RMTg and RMTg-projecting lateral habenula (LHb) neurons during acute withdrawal. In vivo chemogenetic inhibition of this circuit attenuated withdrawal-induced thermal hyperalgesia in a sex-dependent manner. Collectively, these data suggest that RMTg-projecting LHb neurons play an important role in nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure.","abstract_html":"A significant number of individuals with alcohol use disorder struggle to maintain sobriety as a result of withdrawal symptoms including heightened pain sensitivity. Although common, the precise neural mechanisms underlying nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal are not well understood. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is a GABAergic region that plays a critical role in avoidance behavior, aversive signaling, and pain modulation. Accumulating data provides evidence of RMTg hyperactivity during acute withdrawal and points to a role for the RMTg in regulating withdrawal symptoms. Yet, the role of this region in withdrawal-induced changes in pain sensitivity and the afferents that promote RMTg activity during acute withdrawal are unknown. In this thesis, I examined the role of RMTg afferents in regulating hyperalgesia during acute withdrawal. I found that thermal hyperalgesia emerged early after the cessation of ethanol exposure and persisted into protracted withdrawal. cFos expression, a marker of recent neuronal activity, was significantly increased in both the RMTg and RMTg-projecting lateral habenula (LHb) neurons during acute withdrawal. In vivo chemogenetic inhibition of this circuit attenuated withdrawal-induced thermal hyperalgesia in a sex-dependent manner. Collectively, these data suggest that RMTg-projecting LHb neurons play an important role in nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hyerim Yang (23292139)"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:34:33Z","subjects":["Withdrawal symptoms","Alcohol use disorder"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright","Open Access after 2028-01-01"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.31451890.v1","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hyerim Yang (23292139)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-12-01T00:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Role_of_Rostromedial_Tegmental_Nucleus_Afferents_in_Symptoms_of_Withdrawal_from_Chronic_Ethanol_Exposure/31451890"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Withdrawal symptoms","Alcohol use disorder"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright","Open Access after 2028-01-01"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.25417/uic.31451890.v1"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["A significant number of individuals with alcohol use disorder struggle to maintain sobriety as a result of withdrawal symptoms including heightened pain sensitivity. Although common, the precise neural mechanisms underlying nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal are not well understood. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is a GABAergic region that plays a critical role in avoidance behavior, aversive signaling, and pain modulation. Accumulating data provides evidence of RMTg hyperactivity during acute withdrawal and points to a role for the RMTg in regulating withdrawal symptoms. Yet, the role of this region in withdrawal-induced changes in pain sensitivity and the afferents that promote RMTg activity during acute withdrawal are unknown. In this thesis, I examined the role of RMTg afferents in regulating hyperalgesia during acute withdrawal. I found that thermal hyperalgesia emerged early after the cessation of ethanol exposure and persisted into protracted withdrawal. cFos expression, a marker of recent neuronal activity, was significantly increased in both the RMTg and RMTg-projecting lateral habenula (LHb) neurons during acute withdrawal. In vivo chemogenetic inhibition of this circuit attenuated withdrawal-induced thermal hyperalgesia in a sex-dependent manner. Collectively, these data suggest that RMTg-projecting LHb neurons play an important role in nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Role of Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus Afferents in Symptoms of Withdrawal from Chronic Ethanol Exposure"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Hyerim Yang (23292139)"],"dc:date":["2025-12-01T00:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["A significant number of individuals with alcohol use disorder struggle to maintain sobriety as a result of withdrawal symptoms including heightened pain sensitivity. Although common, the precise neural mechanisms underlying nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal are not well understood. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is a GABAergic region that plays a critical role in avoidance behavior, aversive signaling, and pain modulation. Accumulating data provides evidence of RMTg hyperactivity during acute withdrawal and points to a role for the RMTg in regulating withdrawal symptoms. Yet, the role of this region in withdrawal-induced changes in pain sensitivity and the afferents that promote RMTg activity during acute withdrawal are unknown. In this thesis, I examined the role of RMTg afferents in regulating hyperalgesia during acute withdrawal. I found that thermal hyperalgesia emerged early after the cessation of ethanol exposure and persisted into protracted withdrawal. cFos expression, a marker of recent neuronal activity, was significantly increased in both the RMTg and RMTg-projecting lateral habenula (LHb) neurons during acute withdrawal. In vivo chemogenetic inhibition of this circuit attenuated withdrawal-induced thermal hyperalgesia in a sex-dependent manner. Collectively, these data suggest that RMTg-projecting LHb neurons play an important role in nociceptive symptoms of withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure."],"dc:identifier":["10.25417/uic.31451890.v1"],"dc:relation":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Role_of_Rostromedial_Tegmental_Nucleus_Afferents_in_Symptoms_of_Withdrawal_from_Chronic_Ethanol_Exposure/31451890"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright","Open Access after 2028-01-01"],"dc:subject":["Withdrawal symptoms","Alcohol use disorder"],"dc:title":["Role of Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus Afferents in Symptoms of Withdrawal from Chronic Ethanol Exposure"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:34:33Z"}