Brainstem processing of cough sensory inputs in chronic cough hypersensitivity.

Moe, Aung Aung Kywe; Singh, Nabita; Dimmock, Matthew; Cox, Katherine; McGarvey, Lorcan; Chung, Kian Fan; McGovern, Alice E; McMahon, Marcus; Richards, Amanda L; Farrell, Michael J; Mazzone, Stuart B

Abstract

Background
Chronic cough is a prevalent and difficult to treat condition often accompanied by cough hypersensitivity, characterised by cough triggered from exposure to low level sensory stimuli. The mechanisms underlying cough hypersensitivity may involve alterations in airway sensory nerve responsivity to tussive stimuli which would be accompanied by alterations in stimulus-induced brainstem activation, measurable with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Methods
We investigated brainstem responses during inhalation of capsaicin and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in 29 participants with chronic cough and 29 age- and sex-matched controls. Psychophysical testing was performed to evaluate individual sensitivities to inhaled stimuli and fMRI was used to compare neural activation in participants with cough and control participants while inhaling stimulus concentrations that evoked equivalent levels of urge-to-cough sensation.

Findings
Participants with chronic cough were significantly more sensitive to inhaled capsaicin and ATP and showed a change in relationship between urge-to-cough perception and cough induction. When urge-to-cough levels were matched, participants with chronic cough displayed significantly less neural activation in medullary regions known to integrate airway sensory inputs. By contrast, neural activations did not differ significantly between the two groups in cortical brain regions known to encode cough sensations whereas activation in a midbrain region of participants with chronic cough was significantly increased compared to controls.

Interpretation
Cough hypersensitivity in some patients may occur in brain circuits above the level of the medulla, perhaps involving midbrain regions that amplify ascending sensory signals or change the efficacy of central inhibitory control systems that ordinarily serve to filter sensory inputs.

Funding
Supported in part by a research grant from Investigator-Initiated Studies Program of Merck Sharp & Dohme Pty Ltd. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Citation

Moe, A. A. K., Singh, N., Dimmock, M., Cox, K., McGarvey, L., Chung, K. F., …Mazzone, S. B. (2024). Brainstem processing of cough sensory inputs in chronic cough hypersensitivity. EBioMedicine, 100, Article 104976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.104976

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 5, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 19, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-02
• Deposit Date: Feb 12, 2024
• Journal: EBioMedicine
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 100
• Article Number: 104976
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.104976
• Keywords: Brain imaging, Brainstem, Vagal sensory, Sensitisation, ATP, Purinergic, Cough
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396424000112?via%3Dihub