Glial cells lecture

A state-of-the-art lecture, by Professor Linda Watkins from the University of Colorado in Boulder was particularly noteworthy. For the past 10 years or so, she has studied glial cells.  Until fairly recently glial cells were considered boring, as their only known role was to provide a skeletal type support for nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord. Prof. Watkins discovered that glial cells can be activated by infections and other stresses, and they then interact with nerve cells to produce chronic pain states via the secretion of small proinflammatory molecules called cytokines. For instance, 90 percent of patients with HIV infection have chronic pain. Prof. Watkins has shown that one component of the HIV virus (gp 120) interacts with glial cells to induce a chronic pain syndrome. This of course may be of relevant to FM patients who trace the onset of their problem to an antecedent flu-like illness.  Furthermore she has recently shown to that the introduction of a cytokine called interleukin-10 into the nervous system of mice with an experimentally induced chronic pain syndrome, attenuates their pain. Interestingly, interleukin-10 inhibits the actions of the pro-inflammatory cytokines. This is obviously exciting and important work which may eventually have a relevance to FM patients—stay tuned.