Topic: Mechanical pain

The initiation of somatic touch sensation begins with direct pressure stimulation of mechanically activated (MA) channels located in the nerve endings of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. PIEZO1 has been identified as a rapidly adapting MA channel, yet its involvement in mechanical pain remains unknown. Here, we employed fluorescence in situ hybridization, calcium imaging, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, and behavioral assays in mice to elucidate the pivotal role of PIEZO1 in mechanical pain transmission. Our findings reveal the expression of PIEZO1 in a subset of DRG neurons associated w