In the chapter on nervous tissue, we learned about the neuroglia, or glial cells, as they are usually referred to in biomedical research.

In the chapter on nervous tissue, we learned about the neuroglia, or glial cells, as they are usually referred to in biomedical research. In the years since our textbook was published, another important function of some glial cells has been discovered: the processing of pain. When those glial cells function normally, they help reduce pain, but if they are functioning abnormally, they can cause pain to become chronic. In the CNS, microglia, astrocytes, and more recently, oligodendrocytes have been found to be involved in pain, and in the PNS, so have satellite cells.

A couple of recent review articles about this are available on line; while much in these articles is technical, the introduction and conclusion sections are more approachable: C.R. Donnelly et al., ‘Central Nervous System Targets: Glial Cell Mechanisms in Chronic Pain’, and P. Gazerani, ‘Satellite Glial Cells in Pain Research: A Targeted Viewpoint of Potential and Future Directions’.

Some other very recent articles: J.F. Peppin and R.B. Raffa, ‘The “Missing Link” in the Physiology of Pain: Glial Cells’, and David Dobbs, (NY Times) ‘How Glial Cells are Quietly Revolutionizing Chronic Pain Study And Care’.