How Astrocytes and RAGE Team Up in Mouse Brains to Handle Pain and Anxiety

You might know that pain and anxiety often go hand in hand. Scientists have found that in mice, a protein called RAGE in the brain's anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a big role in this combo deal. When mice feel chronic inflammatory pain (CIP), their astrocytes—star-shaped brain cells—get activated. This causes another protein, S100B, to go up. RAGE, which loves to hang out with S100B, also increases. Researchers used a special type of mouse model to understand this better. They discovered that when RAGE went up, the neurons in the ACC became super excited, making pain and anxiety worse. But when they stopped RAGE from doing its thing, the neurons chilled out, and the mice felt better. Interestingly, S100B levels in astrocytes followed a similar pattern to RAGE. When S100B was either added or reduced, it changed RAGE levels and affected how the mice behaved. This shows that the teamwork between astrocytes and RAGE is crucial for keeping pain and anxiety going in the later stages of CIP. So, the next time you think about pain and anxiety, remember that in mouse brains, it's not just about the nerves—the support cells and their protein friends have a say too!

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