Molecular Switch: Protein may influence chronic-pain disorder
By Nathan Seppa
A cell-surface protein found in the nervous system plays a central role in a chronic-pain condition known as neuropathy, a new study in rodents suggests.
In a normal reaction to injury or disease, pain signals activate immune cells in the central nervous system. These cells signal other cells and proteins, triggering inflammation and other healing processes.
Typically, this pain-inducing signaling subsides once healing is well under way. But in neuropathic pain the signaling persists. In this way, the nervous system generates its own pain.