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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Rapid Isolation of Dorsal Root Ganglion Macrophages

Rapid Isolation of Dorsal Root Ganglion Macrophages

Published on: September 7, 2019

[Neuropathic pain decoded by microglial heterogeneity].

Makoto Tsuda¹, Keita Kohno¹

¹Department of Molecular and System Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University.

Nihon Yakurigaku Zasshi. Folia Pharmacologica Japonica

|September 6, 2023

Summary

Microglia in the spinal cord play dynamic roles in neuropathic pain. Specific CD11c-positive microglia are crucial for pain remission, highlighting cellular heterogeneity in neurological disease.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Immunology
Pain Research

Context:

Neuropathic pain, a chronic pain condition, arises from damage to the somatosensory system.
Spinal cord microglia are known to contribute to neuropathic pain onset and maintenance.
The heterogeneity of microglial function across different pain phases is increasingly recognized.

Purpose:

To investigate the dynamic roles of microglia in the onset, maintenance, and remission phases of neuropathic pain.
To characterize the function of CD11c-positive microglia during neuropathic pain remission.

Summary:

Microglia in the spinal cord undergo significant changes in morphology, gene expression, and function following nerve damage, contributing to neuropathic pain.
A distinct subset, CD11c-positive microglia, emerges during the remission phase and is essential for spontaneous pain remission and maintaining the pain-free state.
These findings reveal that microglial roles in neuropathic pain are phase-dependent and not monolithic.

Impact:

Suggests that targeting specific microglial subsets could offer novel therapeutic strategies for neuropathic pain.
Highlights the importance of understanding microglial heterogeneity for deciphering complex neurological diseases.
Provides a foundation for developing new approaches to treat chronic pain and related neurological disorders.