title: Neural dysfunction following respiratory viral infection as a cause of chronic cough hypersensitivity.
abstract: Respiratory viral infections are a common cause of acute coughing, an irritating symptom for the patient and an important mechanism of transmission for the virus. Although poorly described, the inflammatory consequences of infection likely induce coughing by chemical (inflammatory mediator) or mechanical (mucous) activation of the cough-evoking sensory nerves that innervate the airway wall. For some individuals, acute cough can evolve into a chronic condition, in which cough and aberrant airway sensations long outlast the initial viral infection. This suggests that some viruses have the capacity to induce persistent plasticity in the neural pathways mediating cough. In this brief review we present the clinical evidence of acute and chronic neural dysfunction following viral respiratory tract infections and explore possible mechanisms by which the nervous system may undergo activation, sensitization and plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. Electronic address: bundem@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Undem
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zaccone
authors.affiliation: Centre of Infection and Immunity, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT12 6BJ, UK. Electronic address: l.mcgarvey@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lorcan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McGarvey
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia. Electronic address: s.mazzone@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Stuart B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Mazzone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications
keywords: Central sensitization; Neural plasticity; Peripheral sensitization; Rhinovirus