i started listening to an audio book

http://www.amazon.com/The-Other-Brai...he+other+brain

anyways in the far future maybe studies on glial cells could help us..or at least it sounds like they could help RSD sufferers, which i feel like i have a milder version at times.

this is why drugs targeting just the neurons do not work, supposedly


http://www.rsds.org/pdfsall/Fields_S...icAmerican.pdf


According to About.com "Glial cells are non-neural cells that perform "housekeeper" functions such as clearing out debris and excess materials. Glial cells support neurons by providing support and nutrition. There are several different types of glial cells: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, ependymal cells, radial glial, satellite cells and schwann cells. It is estimated that there are 10 to 50 times more glial cells than there are neurons in the brain."

Key Concepts
Chronic ■ ■ pain that persists
after an injury heals is
often caused by overly
excited pain-sensing neurons
that signal without
an external stimulus.

■ ■ Traditional pain drugs that
target neural cells directly
rarely quiet these abnormal
pain messages because
the neurons’ heightened
sensitivity is driven
by a different type of cell
called glia.

■ ■ Such cells monitor the
activity of neurons and
attempt to keep them
healthy and functioning
efficiently. But well-intentioned
glial reactions to
intense pain can at times
prolong that pain.