Intrinsic Circadian Organization of the Spinal Cord and Dorsal Root Ganglia

These genes exhibited non-uniform phase distributions and segregated into discrete temporal clusters. Functional annotation revealed phase-specific enrichment of biological processes related to transport, neuronal structure, and proteostasis, suggesting coordinated temporal deployment of distinct molecular programs rather than uniform oscillations across the circadian cycle. Cross-referencing circadian genes with neuropathic pain–associated gene sets revealed limited overlap; however, overlapping genes aligned to specific baseline phase windows enriched for regenerative annotations.

Potassium channel-related signaling components implicated in neuropathic pain also showed baseline circadian modulation. Together, these findings establish the spinal dorsal horn and DRGs as intrinsically circadian tissues and reveal a temporally structured molecular landscape in primary sensory neurons, providing a framework for understanding how peripheral sensory processing, plasticity, and homeostatic regulation are coordinated across the day-night cycle.