Study Explores the Molecular Basis of Chronic Pain Following Nerve Injury

NICHD image research on chronic pain mechanism

A new study has identified a key molecule, dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK), that controls pathways leading to chronic neuropathic pain following nerve injury. Inhibition of DLK reduced abnormal sensitivity to touch in mice with neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is a condition that may lead to oversensitization of nerves, causing severe pain to be felt in response to stimuli that are normally painless. The mechanisms behind neuropathic pain are not fully understood, but this study, conducted by intramural researchers from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health and published in the journal eLife, sheds light on the mechanisms of this type of pain and paves the way toward new treatments.