Targeting resident astrocytes attenuates neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury

This study investigates the role of different types of astrocytes in neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (SCI). By selectively eliminating resident astrocytes in mice, the researchers aimed to understand if this could reduce SCI-induced neuropathic pain. The researchers used transgenic mice and viral vectors to target and eliminate resident astrocytes in the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord. Pain-related behaviors were then measured using various methods to assess the impact of astrocyte elimination. The study found that eliminating resident astrocytes attenuated neuropathic pain and activated microglia, with the type I interferons (IFNs) signal significantly activated in microglia. This suggests that targeting type I IFNs signals could be an effective strategy for neuropathic pain treatment after SCI.

• 1
  Resident astrocytes, not ependymal cells, are the primary source of astrocytes that induce neuropathic pain after SCI.
• 2
  Selective elimination of resident astrocytes in the lumbar enlargement significantly reduced neuropathic pain in mice after SCI.
• 3
  Eliminating resident astrocytes led to the activation of microglia and the type I interferon (IFN) signaling pathway in the lumbar enlargement.