Papers of the Week

Spontaneous pain, characterized by episodic shooting or stabbing sensations, is a major complaint among neuropathic pain patients, yet its mechanisms remain poorly understood. Recent research indicates a connection between this pain condition and “clustered firing,” wherein adjacent sensory neurons fire simultaneously. This study presents evidence that the triggers of spontaneous pain and clustered firing are the dynamic movements of small blood vessels within the nerve-injured sensory ganglion, along with increased blood vessel density/angiogenesis and increased number of pericytes around blood vessels. Pharmacologically or mechanically evoked myogenic vascular responses increase both spontaneous pain and clustered firing in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. The mechanoreceptor Piezo2 in sensory neurons plays a critical role in detecting blood vessel movements. An anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody that inhibits angiogenesis effectively blocks spontaneous pain and clustered firing. These findings suggest targeting Piezo2, angiogenesis, or abnormal vascular dynamics as potential therapeutic strategies for neuropathic spontaneous pain.