may offer key to controlling pain
A neuropeptide whose loss is believed ,responsible for narcolepsy, a disease characterized by sudden sleep attacks, also appears to play a role in the modulation of pain sensation, a study by a Yale researcher has found.
The findings, published as the cover story in the January issue of the Journal of Physiology, offer a new direction in the control of pain, particularly in spinal cord injuries where pain is a substantial problem, says Anthony van den Pol, professor of neurosurgery at the School of Medicine and coauthor of the study. Collaborators in the study were Ed Perl and Tim Grudt from the University of North Carolina.
The researchers' findings indicate that hypocretin neurons from the hypothalamus establish direct connections with the spinal cord and that hypocretin changes the electrical activity of nerve cells in the dorsal part of the spinal cord that are involved in pain perception. The hypothalamus is generally considered to be an area of the brain that regulates eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, body temperature, chemical balances, heart rate, hormones, sex and emotions.
"We found that most cells in a region of the spinal cord responsible for detecting pain show a significant physiological response to the peptide hypocretin-2," says van den Pol.
It was van den Pol's laboratory, along with colleagues at Stanford University and the Scripps Institute, that first described this new hypothalamic neurotransmitter in 1998. Subsequent studies showed that narcolepsy was caused by the selective neurodegeneration of the hypocretin system. Prior to that finding, narcolepsy was sometimes blamed on laziness or indistinct mental problems.
According to van den Pol the new findings show that in addition to hypocretin's role in enhancing arousal, the neurotransmitter may also modulate pain sensation.
He says more work is needed to establish the specific role of hypocretin in altering sensory input that includes pain and temperature sensation. In the future, new drugs related to hypocretin may prove useful in the treatment and reduction of pain.
-- By Jacqueline Weaver
T H I S
Bulletin Home
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale PREP to boost number of minorities in biomedicine
Study ranks Finland as No. 1 in environmental sustainability
Yale Engineering to mark its 150th anniversary
Yale Opera to present Mozart's fantastical tale 'The Magic Flute'
Yale and New Haven: Downtown News
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPSPaul Freedman is named the Chester D. Tripp Professor
John Matthews is appointed the John M. Schiff Professor
IN FOCUS: Collection of Musical Instruments
Book's authors share perspectives on Sept. 11 and its aftermath
Three exhibits opening Feb. 11 at the School of Architecture
MEDICAL SCHOOL NEWSNine faculty members honored for their surgical skills
New Jersey school adopts 'Discovery Room' program . . .
Peptide linked to narcolepsy may offer key to controlling pain
Study underscores complex nature of schizophrenia
Study: When mental health clinics offer medical care, patients benefit
Findings show acupuncture alone not effective in treating addiction
Scientists find similar risk factors for early, advanced breast cancer
Noted science reporter to visit as Poynter Fellow
Kenyan environmentalist to teach as McCluskey Fellow
'Injustice' of lead poisoning to be explored in F&ES talk
Event to explore innovative approaches to the law
Eugene Davidson, former editor at Yale Press, dies
Memorial service for Louis Martz
Yale Dining Halls has been honored by industry magazine
Yale Books in Brief
Campus Notes
|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News|Bulletin Board
Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page