stimulating noradrenergic (NAergic) neurons tagged posts

New Mechanism of Pain Control Revealed

Marked as concentrated yellow here, a unique population of astrocytes in the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord have been found to play a role in controlling pain.

Researchers in Japan have revealed a previously unknown mechanism for pain control involving a newly identified group of cells in the spinal cord, offering a potential target for enhancing the therapeutic effect of drugs for chronic pain.

While neurons may be the most well-known cells of the central nervous system, an assortment of non-neuronal cells first discovered in the mid-nineteenth century also play a wide variety of important roles.

Originally named after the Greek word for “glue,” these glial cells are now known to be much more than glue and in fact are critical elements for regulating neuronal development a...

Read More