Novel Approaches to Harness Neuropathic Pain: Modulation of Glial Cells as a Therapeutic Strategy

Dear Colleagues,

Neuropathic pain is pain resulting from a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. It is often triggered by trauma of the peripheral (e.g., peripheral nerve injury) or central nervous system (e.g., spinal cord injury), but it can result from non-traumatic pathologies (e.g., diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases). Moreover, neuropathic pain can also arise after specific treatments, including the use of chemotherapy agents or after heavy surgeries.

While traditionally neuropathic pain has been seen and targeted as neuronal dysregulation, accumulating evidence shows that glial cells, most prominently microglia and astrocytes, are pivotal in the establishment and maintenance of neuropathic pain. When activated by peripheral and/or central insults, microglia and astrocytes can disrupt the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, leading to persistent neuroinflammation and sensitization of pain pathways. This sustained inflammatory environment is highly deleterious and may lead to aberrant pain processing and resistance to conventional analgesics. Importantly, once set in motion, abnormal and unbalanced activity of astrocytes and microglia will likely operate in a positive feedback manner, perpetuating neuropathic pain. Therefore, insights into atypical activity of glial cells offer opportunities for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain and will contribute to the development of novel pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches.

This Special Issue aims to deliver the most recent information about mechanisms of neuropathic pain and novel strategies to modulate glial cells in all dimensions (sensory, affective, and emotional) of neuropathic pain. Studies may include original experimental and review articles from animal research to translational and clinical studies.

Dr. Célia Duarte Cruz
Dr. José Tiago Costa-Pereira
Guest Editors

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