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Abstract
<p class="first" id="P1">The previous decade has seen a rapid increase in microglial
studies on pain, with
a unique focus on microgliosis in the spinal cord after nerve injury and neuropathic
pain. Numerous signaling molecules are altered in microglia and contribute to the
pathogenesis of pain. Here we discuss how microglial signaling regulates spinal cord
synaptic plasticity in acute and chronic pain conditions with different degrees and
variations of microgliosis. We highlight that microglial mediators such as pro- and
anti-inflammatory cytokines are powerful neuromodulators that regulate synaptic transmission
and pain via neuron-glial interactions. We also reveal an emerging role of microglia
in the resolution of pain, in part via specialized pro-resolving mediators including
resolvins, protectins and maresins. We also discuss a possible role of microglia in
chronic itch.
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