Stem cells will relieve neuropathic pain
Cell transplantation will help get rid of chronic pain
By transplanting embryonic cells to laboratory mice, they managed to normalize the work of neurons that are responsible for suppressing the so-called neuropathic pain. The results of their work (Forebrain GABAergic Neuron Precursors Integrate into Adult Spinal Cord and Reduce Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain) are published in the journal Neuron.
During the experiment, scientists transplanted immature embryonic nerve cells into the spinal cord of mice. With their help, they tried to restore the work of special neurons of the spinal cord, which normally suppress pain signals. Most of the cells died after the transplant, but a small part of them survived and turned into mature functioning neurons. They have infiltrated the neural network of the spinal cord and formed synapses and signaling pathways with neighboring nerve cells.
As a result, the hypersensitivity to pain observed in mice almost completely disappeared, while no side effects were observed, unlike the drugs currently used to treat chronic pain, which often cause movement disorders.
The mechanism of action of these neurons is that they produce a special neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which suppresses the transmission of pain signals. With its lack, pain impulses occur at the slightest irritation, and the feeling of pain lasts longer. Lack of GABA can also play a role in the development of epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, so it is especially important for scientists to study this problem as best as possible. The author of the study, Allan Basbaum, head of the Department of Anatomy at the University, said that he and his colleagues are encouraged by the results of the experiment, since such therapy treats not the symptoms of chronic pain, but its cause, which is much preferable in medicine. He announced his intention to continue research in the field of embryo cell transplantation.
Chronic pain is different from acute. It is often based on serious neurological disorders, while any effect that is painless for an ordinary person, for example, a light touch, can become a painful stimulus. Such chronic pain caused by hypersensitivity is called neuropathic. It is often caused by the shingles virus, and such pain can torment a person for years or even decades. At the same time, even strong narcotic analgesics are not always able to help the patient. Therefore, the future belongs precisely to those methods of treating chronic pain that can influence the cause and mechanism of its occurrence.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru25.05.2012