Malin Lagerström

Project summary

Regulation of pain and itch

Chronic itch is one of the most common symptoms of conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Chronic pain is a major problem in today’s society. Almost 20 per cent of Sweden’s population experience chronic pain at some point in their lives, and in many cases it leads to lifelong suffering.

 

Pain prompts us to react quickly and avoid things that may harm us. An appropriate response can make the difference between a dangerous and a harmless situation. This project focuses on the networks of nerve cells that detect and regulate pain and other sensory signals, such as itch. Our ability to interpret our surroundings and respond appropriately is regulated by complex systems in the body, in which nerve cells receive information, process it and generate a response.

 

The study has previously identified the nerve cells that transmit burning, mechanical and inflammatory pain from the skin to nerve cells in the spinal cord. We are now continuing to investigate the networks in the spinal cord that transmit and regulate sensory signals in order to determine the role of these cells both under normal conditions and in disease. We study behaviour both in mice in which specific genes or nerve cells have been removed and in mice in which particular cells can be activated or inhibited using light or chemical substances. The study also aims to reveal how different nerve cells interact with one another in the body. Using two-photon microscopy, we can study nerve cells directly in tissue as they are activated or inhibited by different sensory stimuli, such as pressure, heat and itch-inducing substances.

 

One of the aims of the research project is to identify the nerve cells that can reduce the sensation of pain in response to light touch, with the longer-term goal of enhancing the function of these cells using drugs. The main objective is to increase our understanding of this network of nerve cells so that we can ultimately develop better treatments for chronic pain and itch – conditions in which this network is out of balance and for which current treatments are inadequate.