Glial adrenergic receptors as targets for the treatment of neuropathic pain (A09)

• Subject Area: Anaesthesiology ; Human Genetics ; Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology ; Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 255156212

Norepinephrine plays a key role in modulating chronic pain. We have identified α2a (Adra2a) and β2 (Adrb2) adrenergic receptors (ARs) as the most abundant ARs in astrocytes and microglia, respectively. In a mouse model of neuropathic pain, we demonstrated that their activation by α2a/β2 sympathomimetics has analgesic effects. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a form of neurostimulation, induces a brain-wide release of noradrenaline and shows promising results in the long-term treatment of chronic pain, both in animal models and in patients. We see adrenergic activation of astrocytes and microglia as central elements of pain processing along the pain axis and hypothesise that the combination of DC neurostimulation with selective sympathomimetics will have a synergistic effect on pain relief.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1158: From nociception to chronic pain: Structure-function properties of neural pathways and their reorganisation
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Dr. Amit Agarwal, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Frank Kirchhoff; Professorin Dr. Rohini Kuner, since 1/2024; Dr. Manuela Simonetti, Ph.D., until 1/2024