Abstract
Peripheral neuropathies are a group of disorders affecting peripheral nerves, characterized by either distal axonal degeneration or dysfunction of the ensheathing Schwann cells. Depending on the type of peripheral nerve involvement, there are many different symptoms and examination findings in patients with peripheral neuropathy. However, neuropathic pain is probably the single most prevalent complaint that results in consultation with a doctor. Although symptomatic therapies exist for treating pain in peripheral neuropathies (1), none are very effective or specific to the underlying pathogenic mechanisms, often resulting in too many side effects. There is a desperate need in the field to develop pathogenesis-based specific treatments to treat painful symptoms in patients with peripheral neuropathies. In PNAS, Hedstrom et al. present convincing preclinical data to show that enhancement of glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signaling with a small molecule agonist offers such a hope (2).
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