Member of the University of Nova Gorica about new findings in neuroscience
Director of the graduate study program Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology of the Graduate school and a member of the Laboratory for environmental science at the University of Nova Gorica, Doc. Dr. Elsa Fabbretti participate in a research project whose main objective is to study the molecular mechanisms in sensory neurons leading to migraine in patients, why these neurons become hyperactive, and how we could stop their signaling in chronic pain conditions.
By using as genetic experimental model that mimic inherited familial hemiplegic migraine, the research group discovered that such defective neurons are characterised by enhanced influx of calcium and hyperfunctional ATP receptors, important for transduction of pain signals.
Migraine is a complex prototype neurological disease, which is characterized by chronic pain. The hypothesis of the researchers is that tissue changes might induce facilitated pain responses in sensory neurons and chronic pain states. By using genetic experimental model corresponding to familial hemiplegic migraine, researchers have also recently demonstrated the presence of new molecules essential for bidirectional communication between sensory neurons and non-neural cells, leading to chronic pain.
Pain killer drugs are not always effective to block chronic pain progression in many patients. This research substantially improved the knowledge in this field.
This project is the result of a strong collaboration of different excellence centers, universities and clinical departments (that involves University of Nova Gorica, University of Milan, International center for advanced studies in Trieste, and Leiden Migraine medical center, Neatherland) and was published in top scientific journals (The Journal of Neuroscience in Molecular Pain) and already presented in several international conferences. These articles were selected in Telethon Convention 2011 and were accessed more than 1106 times in first 6 months from publication.
This work was supported by Public Reserarch Agency RS, Telethon Foundation Italy, Italian Institute of Technology.
Contact
Andreja Leban
Public Relations
T: +386 5 3315 397
E: andreja.leban@ung.si
