Reducing agents facilitate membrane patch seal integrity and longevity.

The patch clamp method is a widely applied electrophysiological technique used to understand ion channel activity and cellular excitation. The formation of a high resistance giga-ohm seal is required to obtain high-quality recordings but can be challenging due to variables including operator experience and cell preparation. Therefore, the identification of methods to promote the formation and longevity of giga-ohm seals may be beneficial.

Heightened presence of inflammatory mediators in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with trigeminal neuralgia.

Introduction: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic, debilitating facial pain disease causing stabbing pain attacks in the sensory distribution of the trigeminal nerve. The underlying pathophysiology of TN is incompletely understood, although microstructural abnormalities consistent with focal demyelination of the trigeminal nerve root have been shown in patients with TN. Studies of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with TN suggest an increased prevalence of inflammatory mediators, potentially implicating neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of TN, as it has been implicated in other chronic pain conditions.

Sex differences in peripheral immune cell activation: Implications for pain and pain resolution.

Decades of research into chronic pain has deepened our understanding of the cellular mechanisms behind this process. However, a failure to consider the biological variable of sex has limited the application of these breakthroughs into clinical application. In the present study, we investigate fundamental differences in chronic pain between male and female mice resulting from inflammatory activation of the innate immune system.

Sex differences in the inflammatory response of the mouse DRG and its connection to pain in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease with notable sex differences. Women are not only more likely to develop MS but are also more likely than men to experience neuropathic pain in the disease. It has been postulated that neuropathic pain in MS can originate in the peripheral nervous system at the level of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), which houses primary pain sensing neurons (nociceptors).

Endoplasmic reticulum stress in the dorsal root ganglia regulates large-conductance potassium channels and contributes to pain in a model of multiple sclerosis.

Neuropathic pain is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) and current treatment options are ineffective. In this study, we investigated whether endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contributes to pain hypersensitivity in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model of MS. Inflammatory cells and increased levels of ER stress markers are evident in post-mortem DRGs from MS patients.

Microglia response following acute demyelination is heterogeneous and limits infiltrating macrophage dispersion.

Microglia and infiltrating macrophages are thought to orchestrate the central nervous system (CNS) response to injury; however, the similarities between these cells make it challenging to distinguish their relative contributions. We genetically labeled microglia and CNS-associated macrophages to distinguish them from infiltrating macrophages. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we describe multiple microglia activation states, one of which was enriched for interferon associated signaling.

Profiling the microRNA signature of the peripheral sensory ganglia in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Background: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease with a distinct female bias, as well as a high prevalence of neuropathic pain in both sexes. The dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contain the primary sensory neurons that give rise to pain, and damage to these neurons may lead to neuropathic pain. Here, we investigate the sex differences of the DRG transcriptome in a mouse model of MS.

Sensory Neurons of the Dorsal Root Ganglia Become Hyperexcitable in a T-Cell-Mediated MOG-EAE Model of Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Patients with MS typically present with visual, motor, and sensory deficits. However, an additional complication of MS in large subset of patients is neuropathic pain.