The dorsolateral pontine reticular formation contains noradrenergic pain-inhibiting neurons which project to inhibitory interneurons of the substantia gelatinosa of the posterior grey column in the spinal cord.
It thus complements the classical serotonergic-opioid peptide descending pain-inhibiting system: whereas the serotonergic-opioid peptide pathway ultimately pre-synaptically inhibits first-order nociceptive group C neurons, the DLPRF inhibits - by way of presumably GABAergic inhibitory interneurons - the second-order neurons of the ascending pain pathway.
The DLPRF pathway is not affected by opioid agonists or antagonists.
[1] It is also involved in REM sleep.
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