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Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells01:31

Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells

Glia, or neuroglia, are vital support cells that assist neurons in their functions. The term "glia" originates from the Greek word for "glue," reflecting their role in holding the nervous system together. These cells can be categorized into six types: four in the central nervous system (CNS) and two in the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
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Patch Clamp Recordings on Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia from Adult Rats
12:00

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Published on: September 29, 2016

Do glial cells control pain?

Marc R Suter1, Yeong-Ray Wen, Isabelle Decosterd

  • 1Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. msuter1@partners.org

Neuron Glia Biology
|May 28, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Glial cells in the spinal cord play a key role in controlling chronic pain. Understanding their signaling pathways, like mitogen-activated protein kinase, may lead to better pain management strategies.

Keywords:
MAP kinasechemokineschronic paincytokinesintracellular signalingmicroglianerve injury

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Chronic pain management remains a significant clinical challenge.
  • Current treatments targeting neurotransmission show limited efficacy.
  • Glial cell activation in the central nervous system contributes to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of glial cells, particularly microglia, in spinal cord-mediated pain control.
  • To explore the signaling mechanisms involved in glial-mediated pain modulation.
  • To highlight potential therapeutic targets for chronic pain.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of accumulating evidence on glial cells and pain.
  • Discussion of inflammatory mediators (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β) and growth factors (e.g., BDNF, bFGF) released by glia.
  • Focus on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways in glial signaling.

Main Results:

  • Activated glial cells release mediators that cause neurodegeneration and abnormal pain.
  • Glial cells produce growth factors that can potentiate pain.
  • Microglial cells in the spinal cord are crucial for pain control following injury.

Conclusions:

  • Glial cells significantly influence pain control when activated.
  • MAPK pathways are critical for glial-mediated pain control.
  • Investigating microglial signaling mechanisms offers a promising avenue for developing effective chronic pain treatments.