Review Article, Analg Resusc Curr Res Vol: 1 Issue: 1
Spinal Stargazin-Mediated Cross-Talk of AMPA/NMDA Receptors in Chronic Pain
| Haiying Wu1 and Feng Tao2* | |
| 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, The first Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA | |
| 2Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA | |
| Corresponding author : Feng Tao 720 Rutland Ave. /Ross 355, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA Tel: 1-410-614-8059 Fax: 1-410-614-7711 E-mail: ftao1@jhmi.edu |
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| Received: July 10, 2012 Accepted: August 25, 2012 Published: August 31, 2012 | |
| Citation: Wu H, Tao F (2012) Spinal Stargazin-Mediated Cross-Talk of AMPA/NMDA Receptors in Chronic Pain. Analg Resusc: Curr Res 1:1. doi:10.4172/2324-903X.1000101 |
Abstract
Spinal Stargazin-Mediated Cross-Talk of AMPA/NMDA Receptors in Chronic Pain
Chronic pain resulting from a variety of health conditions is the primary reason people seek medical care; yet current therapies either are inadequate or cause intolerable side effects [1-8]. Understanding cellular and molecular processes that lead to the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain will provide substantial promise for the development of more effective and specific pain therapies. Chronic pain is an expression of neuronal plasticity. One component of the plasticity is that the afferent input generated by injury and intense
noxious stimuli triggers an increased excitability of nociceptive neurons in the spinal cord. Glutamate is the principal excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter within the mammalian nervous system.
