Injury to peripheral nerves (the causes of which include shingles, HIV-AIDS, toxins, alcoholism, repetitive motion disorders, surgery, and cancer) causes neuropathic pain, which differs from ordinary pain and is usually perceived as a steady burning, pins and needles, electric shock sensations, and/or tickling. Normal pain relief therapies do not effectively provide relief from neuropathic pain. Further understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain is therefore essential to facilitate the development of new drugs. New research in rodents by Marie Campana and colleagues from the University of California at San Diego, has provided evidence that a fragment of the protein LRP1 (sLRP1-alpha) attenuates neuropathic pain.
