Michael T. Nelson, Pavle M. Joksovic, Edward Perez-Reyes, and Slobodan M. Todorovic
This week, Nelson et al. report a role for T-channels in a subset of nociceptors. The authors recorded from rat dorsal root ganglion neurons in the intact ganglia or after dissociation. Small, capsaicin-sensitive, nonpeptidergic neurons expressed a preponderance of T-type calcium currents. These nociceptors terminate in lamina II in the spinal cord and contribute to chronic pain after nerve injury. Nociceptor responses to noxious stimuli can be increased by central or peripherally expressed molecules; thus modulation of T-channels may be one of the mechanisms of sensitization to painful stimuli after nerve injury.
2. Another Reason to Drink Green Tea?
Kavon Rezai-Zadeh, Doug Shytle, Nan Sun, Takashi Mori, Huayan Hou, Deborah Jeanniton, Jared Ehrhart, Kirk Townsend, Jin Zeng, David Morgan, John Hardy, Terrence Town, and Jun Tan
This week, Rezai-Zadeh et al. report that a component of green tea modulated amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease in vitro and in vivo. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenolic component of green tea, reduced â-amyloid (Aâ) production in neurons cultured from APP-overexpressing mice (Tg APPSW). After 2 months of treatment, Aâ-containing plaques were significantly reduced.