Brain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyū no shinpo
-
Neuropathic pain is often a consequence of nerve injury through surgery, bone compression, diabetes or infection. This type of pain can be so severe that even light touching can be intensely painful. Unfortunately, this state is generally resistant to currently available treatments. ⋯ The activated microglia express P2X4 after nerve injury, which can be stimulated by endogenous ATP, resulting in the release of BDNF which is one of key molecules involving in neuropathic pain. The microglia also express many molecules that were reported to be connected in the pain. Understanding the key roles of these ATP receptors in microglia may lead to new strategies for the management of intractable chronic pain.
-
Increasing evidence indicates the importance of neuron-astrocyte interaction in synaptic function. However, structural evidence is scarce compared to abundant information from electrophysiological studies. Meticulous studies using serial electron microscopic technique in hippocampal CAI and cerebellum provided the earliest knowledge about three-dimensional close relationship between synapses and glial processes. ⋯ In the next step any astrocytic structural changes around mature synapses correlated with plastic change of synaptic efficacy, such as long-term potentiation, should be investigated. Structural relationship between axon terminals and astrocytic processes should also be revealed. Furthermore, in vivo time-lapse imaging of synapseastrocyte pairs will soon be accomplished, as techniques of in vivo two-photon imaging showed remarkable progress recently.