Substance identified that reduces neuropathic pain from light touch

In a study published recently in Nature Neuroscience, researchers at the Max Delbrück Center and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (both Germany) have identified a substance that reduces sensitivity of the ion channel responsible for mechanical hypersensitivity that can cause neuropathic pain.  The researchers highlight that these initial findings could aid drug development for the treatment of neuropathic pain in humans in the future. Mechanoceptors in the skin, such as the ion channel Piezo2, detect very light touch, yet can also be the source of debilitating neuropathic pain. In this recent study, researchers set out to identify a substance that could reduce the...