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Query: UMLS:C0423716 (Neuropathic pain)
 1,417 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neuropathic pain from nerve injury by trauma, disease or surgery often causes prolonged suffering. To explore the molecular mechanisms that underlie neuropathic pain, we used mRNA from the L4--5 segments of the lumbar spinal cord of rats with chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain, and differentially screened a cDNA library from the rat brain. A novel gene, termed RSEP1 (Rat Spinal cord Expression Protein 1), was identified. Northern blots revealed that RSEP1 was expressed mainly in the central nervous system including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, brainstem and spinal cord, as well as in the kidney and ovary. In situ hybridization showed a high level of RSEP1 expression in the CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus regions of the hippocampus and the small sensory neurons in the dorsal horn, as well as the large neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Intrathecal injection of RSEP1 antisense oligonucleotide into the spinal cord lumbar enlargement attenuated neuropathic pain behaviours in CCI rats, suggesting a functional involvement of RSEP1 in neuropathic pain.
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PMID:RSEP1 is a novel gene with functional involvement in neuropathic pain behaviour. 1617 50

Neuropathic pain complicates many diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system and is frequently encountered in clinical practice. The mechanisms underlying its occurrence and chronification remain poorly understood. As a consequence, symptomatic treatment is frequently the only available therapeutic option. An appropriate diagnostic workup is an important prelude to treatment. Moreover, identification of the site of damage in the somatosensory pathway represents a mandatory step in the process of deciding on a disease-modifying therapy for any given patient. The recent revision of the definition of neuropathic pain has introduced the concept of a nosologic-based approach to the diagnosis, which is expected to be supported by the demonstration of a relationship between the clinical picture and a lesion or disease. This underscores the need for precise diagnostic assessment of the patient. In the last decade, a number of tools including validated scales, psychophysical tests and morphometric analysis of small nerve fibers carrying thermal and nociceptive sensation have been developed; these can provide important information about the quality and intensity of the multiple features that characterize neuropathic pain. More recently, advances on the recognition of a molecular substrate for neuropathic pain, both in terms of susceptibility and novel gene mutations, have provided the potential for new diagnostic perspectives and a path toward a better comprehension of the pathogenetic mechanisms. This editorial addresses briefly the impact of these developments on the diagnosis of neuropathic pain in clinical practice.
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PMID:Diagnosis of neuropathic pain: challenges and possibilities. 2348 Jun 52