In the previous Neuroscience Nuggets post, “You are too powerful for pills” David mentioned Dr Linda Watkins and Dr Mark Hutchinson, two researchers who are at the forefront of work on glial mediated opioid resistance. Here’s a bit of bonus material from these two heavy hitters in this field.
Dr Watkins has hundreds of publications to her name, including this beauty with Milligan et al on mirror neuropathic pain (might be another neuroscience nugget in that). Below is Dr Watkins with a presentation on glia and chronic pain
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYyvEyroDgk?rel=0&w=640&h=480]
I’ve linked to Dr Hutchinson’s work previously with a post about addiction and the “other brain” and Dr Hutchinson’s presentation at PainAdelaide 2014 was in my top three of the day. Below is Dr Hutchinson giving a short presentation on some of his work.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-qYWCV4jGA?rel=0&w=640&h=480]
-Tim Cocks
Explain Pain 2nd Ed, the Graded Motor Imagery Handbook and all noigroup courses are all bursting at the seams with the latest and greatest neuroscience nuggets; click on the links to get your hands on a copy or to find a course near you
Is there a nugget that will help me link the function of glial cells with the ability to reduce pain, in some instances, with patient education? Does patient education reduce the intensity of the glial response?
Hi Deborah,
Effective patient education must reduce the need to protect and this has to be a neuroimmune event. Processes in the brain related to this could be a shift towards a more analgesic balance of cytokines and chemokines or a lessening of the need to draws more columns of neurones and glial cells into the representation of body part that the brain “decides”needs protecting.
Even reading this post will stimulate an immune response in the brain, essentially a sterile inflammation which will be a requirement of learning. Almost a bit scary!
Best wishes
David