New research has found that in a mouse model mimicking Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pain signals are not processed in the same way as in healthy mice.
The research, published in Nature Communications, suggests that the perception of pain in people with Alzheimer’s Disease may be altered, and asks whether changes in management of pain in people with AD could improve their quality of life.
While chronic musculoskeletal pain is common in individuals with AD, it remains largely untreated as it can go unreported due to the cognitive deficits attached to the disease.
In this study, the researchers sought to explore whether there is also an alteration in the body’s response to pain by the nervous system in people with AD.
In healthy mice, pain signals are transmitted from the point of origin to the central nervous system to initiate an immune response. The protein Galectin-3 has been demonstrated to be responsible for pain signal transmission to the spinal cord. Upon reaching the spinal cord, it binds to another protein, TLR4, to initiate the immune response.
In this study, researchers used an AD mice model and gave them rheumatoid arthritis, a type of chronic inflammatory disease, through blood transfer. They observed an increase in allodynia, pain caused by a stimulus that doesn’t normally provoke pain, as a response to the inflammation. They also found and increased activation of a microglia — resident immune cells — in the spinal cord. They determined that these effects were regulated by TLR4.
Researchers found that the mice with AD lacked TLR4 in the immune cells of their central nervous system and were therefore unable to respond to pain in the typical way as the signals were not being perceived.
This resulted in the mice with AD developing less joint inflammation related pain, and a less powerful immune cell response to the pain signals received by the central nervous system.
The study’s senior author said, “Nociceptive pain – pain which is the result of tissue damage - is the second most prevalent comorbidity in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Our study has shown that, in mice with Alzheimer’s, the body’s ability to process that pain is altered due to the lack of TLR4; a protein vital to the immune response process in the central nervous system.
“These are important findings, as untreated pain can contribute to the psychiatric symptoms of the disease. Increasing our understanding of this area could, with more research, lead to more effective treatments and ultimately improve people’s quality of life.”
The study’s first author said, “The results of this study have the potential to make an impact, not only by identifying Galectin-3/TLR4 as a potential therapeutic target for chronic pain, but most importantly by raising awareness around the underreported and untreated pain experienced by patients with AD.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39077-1
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fgalectin-3-activates&filter=22
Pain perceived differently in people with Alzheimer's Disease
- 732 views
- Added
Latest News
Microglia depletion prevent…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Colorectal cancer stem cell…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Paranoia in the brain
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
In-vitro 3D culture of func…
By newseditor
Posted 15 Jun
Neural balance in the brain…
By newseditor
Posted 15 Jun
Other Top Stories
Mechanism for cancer-killing properties of pepper plant
Read more
Using immune cells to deliver anti-cancer drugs
Read more
New insight into breast cancer resistance mechanism
Read more
Hexokinase phosphorylation is required for Src mediated tumor metas…
Read more
The importance of the glutamine metabolism in colon cancer
Read more
Protocols
Bioengineered human colon o…
By newseditor
Posted 14 Jun
Development of an efficient…
By newseditor
Posted 12 Jun
A co-culture system of macr…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Analysis of 3D pathology sa…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Jun
Long-term expandable mouse…
By newseditor
Posted 07 Jun
Publications
Innate-like T cells in live…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
Membrane to cortex attachme…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jun
NRG1-ErbB4 signaling in the…
By newseditor
Posted 15 Jun
HPV integration and cervica…
By newseditor
Posted 15 Jun
Cerebral tau pathology in c…
By newseditor
Posted 15 Jun
Presentations
Myelin plasticity in the ve…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar