Nihon shinkei seishin yakurigaku zasshi = Japanese journal of psychopharmacology
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Jun 2015
Review[Exploration of novel therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain based on the regulation of immune cells].
The pathogenesis of neuropathic pain is quite complicated and diverse. Because pre-existing analgesics, such as opioid analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are not sufficient to treat it, it is a serious task to establish a strategy of remedy for neuropathic pain. Recently, increasing evidence suggests that immune cell-mediated neuroinflammation in the nervous system induces central and peripheral sensitization, resulting in chronic pain. ⋯ Activated immune cells produce and release several kinds of inflammatory mediators, which act directly on sensory neurons and promote a recruitment of immune cells, developing the feedback loop of inflammatory exacerbation. We've focused on the role of crosstalk between immune cells and neurons in peripheral neuroinflammation, and explored a novel candidate for a remedy of neuropathic pain. In this review, we will introduce recent reports and our research work that suggest the functional significance of neuroinflammation in neuropathic pain, and survey possibilities of new strategies for chronic pain from the point of view of basic research.
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Feb 2015
Review[Mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain revealing by the role of glial cells].
Injury to the nervous system results in debilitating chronic pain states (called neuropathic pain) whose mechanisms remain unclear. Emerging lines of evidence indicate the pivotal role of spinal glial cells in neuropathic pain. Spinal microglia rapidly respond to peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and become activated with changing expression of a variety of genes. ⋯ Furthermore, interferon regulatory factor-8 (IRF8) and IRF5 are identified as microglial transcription factors whose expression is upregulated in spinal microglia after PNI, and the IRF8-IRF5 transcriptional cascade is the core process for shifting spinal microglia toward a state with high expression of P2X4 receptors. Astrocytes in the spinal cord show a delayed onset of activation and play an important role in the maintenance of neuropathic pain via the transcription factor STAT3 and the intracellular kinase JNK. These results obtained from glial cell research will advance our understanding of the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain and provide a new target for treating this pain.
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Clinically, it is well-known that chronic pain induces depression, anxiety, and reduced quality of life. Neuropathic pain, which is characterized by spontaneous burning pain, hyperalgesia and allodynia, is the most difficult pain to manage in the pain clinic. ⋯ This review will explore the most current issues in the field of pain, with a focus on transcriptional research, epigenetic research and post-transcriptional research. For a global understanding of the pain, it is necessary to analyze the correlation between these temporal parameters and phenomics.
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Nov 2011
Review[What does Reelin actually do in the developing brain?].
In mammalian brains, most neuronal cells form a layer structure. This structure is established thorough correct migration of neuronal cells, and underlies proper functions of the brain. It is thus important to understand the molecular mechanism that regulates neuronal migration and layer formation. ⋯ However, tbe primary role of Reelin in the developing brain and its underlying molecular mechanism still remain unresolved. In this review, I try to summarize what is known and what we can infer about Reelin. I also mention why studying Reelin is difficult.
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Jun 2010
[Immature dentate gyrus as a candidate endophenotype of psychiatric disorders].
Despite massive research efforts, the exact pathogenesis and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, remain largely unknown. Animal models can serve as essential tools for investigating the etiology and treatment of such disorders. Some mutant mouse strains were found to exhibit behavioral abnormalities reminiscent of human psychiatric disorders. ⋯ By conducting a series of experiments, we discovered that almost all the neurons in the mutant DG were very similar to the immature DG neurons of normal rodents. In other words, alpha-CaMKII HKO mice have an "immature DG". We proposed that an "immature DG" in adulthood might induce alterations in behavior and serve as a promising candidate endophenotype of schizophrenia and other human psychiatric disorders.